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Gracious Cooking

Zucchini Galette

This cheesy, light galette topped with a thin layer of zucchini is the perfect appetizer for your next party.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Pie Dough (makes enough dough for 2 galettes. Save one in your freezer.)
  • 2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
  • 1 cup ice water you will not use all of the water, but I like to have extra.
For the Zucchini
  • ½ medium or large zucchini, sliced very thin
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
For the Cheese Filling
  • ¾ cup ricotta cheese full fat is best. Get a thicker, less moist ricotta if you can. See note.
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • ½ cup fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces see note
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • zest of ¼ to ½ lemon don't go overboard here, or the lemon could overpower everything else.
  • 1 large egg
For the Egg Wash
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Tablespoon water

Equipment

  • Sheet pan
  • Bench scraper
  • parchment paper

Method
 

For the Pie Dough
  1. Cut the cold butter into slices. Put in the freezer until ready to use.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and sugar.
  3. Add the very cold butter slices to the bowl, and rub them and the flour together between your fingers, until you get a texture that resembles corn flakes. You don't want the butter pieces to dissolve totally into the flour.
  4. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly between each addition until the dough starts to come together. It should press together in your hand and hold its shape without crumbling, but not feel wet. You will not use all the water.
  5. Form the dough into two roughly equal discs, wrap in plastic wrap and rest one disc in the fridge for 30 minutes. Store the other disc in your freezer for another time.
For the Zucchini
  1. Slice the zucchini into very thin slices. I did this on the second thinnest setting of my mandolin, but you can absolutely do it with a knife, too. If you do use a mandolin, please wear cut resistant gloves. Pretty please.
  2. On a baking tray lined with paper towels, lay the zucchini slices out in a single layer.
  3. Sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 30 minutes. This will draw some excess moisture out of the zucchini. Dab the water off of the top of the slices when the 30 minutes are up.
For the Filling
  1. Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a bowl, except for the egg.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning, and add the egg when you are happy with the seasoning.
  3. Mix with a spoon to combine.
To assemble
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Take your pie dough out of the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a mostly round shape, about ¼ inch thick. The beauty of galette is that it does not demand perfection.
  3. Transfer your dough to a parchment lined baking sheet. The easiest way I've found to do this is by loosening the dough from the counter with a bench scraper, if necessary, and then confidently and quickly moving it to the sheet pan.
  4. Spread your cheese filling almost all the way to the edges, leaving about 1 inch of the edge bare all around the crust.
  5. Shingle (arrange) your zucchini slices in one even layer across the filling, this time leaving about a 3 to 4 inch border. Brush the zucchini with olive oil using a pastry brush, or the back of a spoon, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  6. Fold the edges over themselves, sealing in the filling. Again, perfection is not required. Just get it sealed up. The edges should fold over about 2 inches over the filling.
  7. Mix 1 egg with 1 Tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Brush over the edges of the crust with a pastry brush or the back of a spoon. This helps with shininess and browning.
  8. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Mine was done at about 35 minutes.
  9. Let cool for a few minutes, transfer to a cutting board, slice, and enjoy!

Notes

If you can find a full fat, thick ricotta, feel free to use the fresh mozzarella. If you are using a thin, more watery ricotta, I would grate some low-moisture mozzarella and use that instead of fresh. That way, the moisture levels balance out.