Ricotta, Za’atar, Lemon & Asparagus Galette
I am a big fan of galettes. I really love their rustic look and I find that a big bite to a freshly baked flaky pastry is one of the tastiest things ever. Galettes are so versatile and can be easily adapted.
Spring and Summer are the perfect seasons for galettes as you can showcase all the beautiful fruit and veg. For this one I chose asparagus which have been particularly glorious this year.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Shortcrust
320g flour
225g butter
1tsp salt
50-60g ice water
1 egg for brushing
Filling
200g ricotta
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp of parmesan
1 egg
Zest of 1 lemon
300g Asparagus
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 to 2 tbsp of zaatar
Salt
1 egg to egg wash
2 tbsp za’atar to sprinkle the crust
Step by Step
Mix flour with salt in a big bowl
Cut the cold butter in cubes and rub it with your fingers in the flour until it's incorporated and looks like wet sand. If you are using a stand mixer mix the butter and flour with the paddle attachment.
Add the ice-cold water and bring the mixture together forming a ball. Don’t over-mix it, it is actually ok to be able to see little pieces of butter within the dough
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30min at least
In a bowl mix the ricotta with the lemon zest, salt, pepper and parmesan
Prep the asparagus and chop the woody ends. In a bowl toss the asparagus with the olive oil and za’atar
Roll out your pastry between two sheets of parchment paper. This will make it easier and quicker.
When you have finished rolling it out remove one sheet of parchment paper and place it at the bottom of your baking tray. Dust the parchment paper with a bit of flour (this will help you achieve a crunchy bottom)
Take the parchment paper with the rolled-out dough and reverse it on the tray (the same way you would turn a frittata) then carefully remove the top parchment paper
Dust the top of the dough with a bit of flour, once again this will help you achieve a crunchy base
Roughly trim the edges of your pastry with a knife. You don't need it to be perfectly round, just try to get rid of very uneven edges
Spread the ricotta mix starting from the middle of your pastry, leaving only the edges out (picture below)
Now it's time to place your asparagus in the middle of the rolled-out pastry
Now it's time to fold the edges of your pastry. Fold them covering part of the asparagus. You don't have to be very neat; this is a rustic tart
You can play around with the edge and try and add some 'movement' on the dough as this, once baked, will give you a nice crunchy crust
Beat the egg and brush the edges of the tart and sprinkle the za’atar
Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 200 C for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool down and enjoy!
Tips & Cheats
I’ve covered this topic on other posts but will gladly repeat as this was a massive game changer for me. When it’s warm, your fridge and your freezer are your biggest allies. This is when and how you should use them:
The butter will inevitably melt a bit, but you shouldn’t have shiny, greasy hands. If you feel the butter melting in your hands when rubbing it in the flour, stop immediately and put your bowl in the fridge for 15-20 min
If your pastry feels too soft before rolling it out, put it in the freezer for 10 min
Once you have composed the tart and you are waiting for the oven to heat up, put the whole tart in the fridge
In other words, every time you feel your pastry has been managed too long, is getting too soft or your hands are greasy just put it in the fridge or freezer for a little while. Your ultimate goal is to prevent the butter from melting.