Summer just isn’t Summer without a bountiful harvest of tomatoes of all kinds. I know, I know… You’re either a lover or a hater. I find myself in the LOVE category. Salads, tacos, life in general, isn’t complete without tomatoes. The only issue I find is finding the time to try all of the amazing tomato recipes during the summer bounty.
If you’ve been following me for some time, you’ll know that I LOVE pie making. I’ve been good friends with pie crust for some time. Here is a post highlighting all of my favorite pie crust tips and tricks. Some people think that pies are just for the holidays and typically are only for sweet types of pies or galettes. NOT TRUE! It’s also not just for your grandmother’s turkey pot pie. You can make all kinds of savory treats with a mean pie crust. For example, my Tomato Galette.
What’s a galette you ask! Well, it’s a fancy term for a free form pie. You don’t use a pie plate, you just fold up your crust over whatever filling you have and voilá, you have a free form pie. First I start with my crust. I whip that up quickly with a few simple ingredients; flour, Crisco, salt, vinegar, one egg & ice water. The key is to keep all of your ingredients as cold as possible. I use Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks when I bake and I will cut it up into cubes and then place them into the freezer for 20 minutes so they get nice and cold. Temperature is key to great pie crusts. Butter Flavor and All-vegetable Crisco® Shortening and Baking Sticks deliver higher, lighter-textured baked goods and have 50% less saturated fat than butter and zero grams trans fat per serving.
Once my crust is made, I chill it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes while I put together the filling for my galette. First I caramelized onions in Crisco Sauté Solutions Olive Oil Blend Stick with a little salt and a dash of sugar to help them caramelize. Then I mix my cheese filling. That’s a mixture of cream cheese, ricotta, parmesan cheese and some dried Italian herbs. Slice up some tomatoes and you’re all set to assemble. Once it’s baked, I drizzle with some Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add some fresh basil and it’s all set. Crisco® Extra Virgin Olive Oil uses the highest quality olives available to help enhance your cooking; available in three flavorful varieties 100% Extra Virgin, Pure and Light Tasting Olive Oil.
Here’s a video I put together that will help you make pie crust your grandmother will love AND you get to see how I put together my tomato galette.
Looking for more great recipe inspiration? Visit The Crisco Heritage Kitchen, a hub dedicated to all things food, tradition and family, where generations of home cooks can gather and discover tried-and-true recipes that will delight and inspire.
Tomato Galette + Pie Crust 101 Recipe
- Crust
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups of Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 egg
- 4-6 tablespoons water
- Filling
- 1 small sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon Crisco Sauté Solutions Olive Oil Blend Stick
- ½ cup cream cheese
- ½ cup ricotta
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
- 2-3 large tomatoes thinly sliced
- Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil & fresh basil for garnish
- In a large bowl, add flour, salt and cold Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks. Use a pastry cutter to cut-in the shortening to the flour.
- In a small bowl beat egg and vinegar together and pour into flour mixture.
- Gently mix and add ice cold water until your dough just comes together. Be careful not to over mix. Pour out dough onto some plastic wrap and form into a disk. Wrap and place in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling. Slice onions and caramelize over medium low heat with the Crisco Olive Oil Sauté Stick, salt and sugar. This will take 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ricotta, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
- Cut dough into quarters. Roll one quarter of the dough out on a floured surface into a 10 inch round.
- Spread on ½ of the cheese mixture, top with onions and tomatoes. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.
- Use the remaining ingredients to make up another galette.
- Place in a 375˚ oven for 40-50 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garnish with fresh basil.
*Disclosure: As a participant of the Crisco Ambassador Program, I’ve received compensation for my time and product samples for review purposes. Opinions are my own.
