Tomato and Artichoke Galette

I don’t make that kind of tomato pie. Those of you who have been following me for a while know that typical Southern tomato pies have WAY more mayonnaise than I am willing to tolerate. I can use mayo as a binder in a recipe–say, chicken salad–but it has to be as little as possible, and so mixed in and seasoned up that I can pretend it’s not really there. I can’t explain my mayonnaise loathing, but there it is. I don’t even like getting the stuff out of the jar. Further, some of those tomato pies have a lattice(!?!) crust on top. No way do I have time for that.

Fortunately, I have a work-around. And as long as I’m working around mayonnaise, the rest of the operation might as well be easier, too. I’m not sure how much time you spend with your nose in a cooking magazine, but in case it’s not much, let me introduce you to the galette.

“Galette” is a French cooking term that generally refers to a flat pie or pastry with fruit baked on top. The French sometimes use it to describe a flat potato dish of carefully arranged, thinly sliced potatoes, and then baked. In recent years foodies have been making galettes with all manner of fillings. I love making galettes because they’re freeform and unfussy. (One of my own personal goals is to be freeform and unfussy. So far that’s a no-go.) Part of the allure of galettes is that no pie pan is needed, there’s no blind baking required, and often you don’t even have to cook the filling first.

True to the form, this Tomato and Artichoke Galette recipe is the height of foodie casual chic. It’s delicious and doesn’t require any actual pastry-making unless you want it to. I use refrigerated pie crust with impunity, and I heartily recommend it. The crust won’t look perfect, but then again homemade pastry wouldn’t either, and therein lies much of the charm! Galettes are RUSTIC.

My Tomato Artichoke Galette calls for a soft, spreadable cheese with herbs and garlic added. One commercial brand is Boursin which you can find in the fancy cheese section of the grocery store. A similar brand is Alouette. You could even mix some softened cream cheese or goat cheese with whatever herbs and/or garlic you have on hand and use that instead. For the galette pictured I used a homemade garlic cheese spread I happened to have leftover from a party, and that worked fine.

This recipe is incredibly forgiving. If you’re REALLY wanting to sort of replicate traditional tomato pie, your best bet is to spread cream cheese over the crust, top that with shredded cheddar, and skip the artichokes and olives. Mayonnaise isn’t dry enough for this method. You need the firmness of the spreadable cheese as a moisture barrier between the crust and the other filling to keep the crust crisp on the bottom. Oh, and don’t skip the tomato draining step. This also helps to keep your crust from getting soggy. Nobody wants a soggy crust. Nobody.

You can use any sort of tomatoes you have as long as they’re fresh and flavorful. The photos show an heirloom Cherokee Purple tomato, two romas, and even a few orange and yellow cherry tomatoes. The artichoke hearts you see are marinated ones from a jar. Frozen artichoke hearts or canned artichoke hearts packed in water are fine, too. Those black olives are from a tiny can and entirely optional.

So how should you serve Tomato Artichoke Galette? I love it as a light supper with a simple salad, and I’ve served it for summertime brunch with great success. It’s equally good hot out of the oven or at room temperature. I once made three different kinds of galettes–this one, a spinach madeline one, and a potato one–and served them warm with a huge fruit salad and cheese straws at a fancy christening party. Heck, I’ve put a leftover slice or two into a Tupperware container, taken it to work for lunch, and happily eaten it cold at my desk.

The moral of the story is: galettes are easy and versatile, and Tomato and Artichoke Galette is a fantastic addition to your lazy cooking summer menu rotation, no mayo or pie pan needed! Think of it like a cross between a tomato pie and a fancy grownup pizza, only easier.

Bon Appetit!