Galettes are a great introduction to making and baking your own crusts – their freeform nature makes them much easier to work with than a pie or a quiche, and “messy” becomes “rustically beautiful”. I love making this one during the spring – it’s great with a glass (or bottle) of sauv blanc, and leftovers make a great breakfast with a fried egg on top.

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1/2 pound asparagus, washed and peeled*
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup goat cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated with 2 tbsp reserved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose white flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small chunks and frozen
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup ice cold water
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 egg

*Most asparagus recipes call for you to trim off the woody ends of the asparagus. One of my favorite kitchen tips is to peel the bottom half of the asparagus instead. Most asparagus have a grey-ish, purple-ish color at the bottom of their stalks – when you gently peel them, the outer layer reveals a vibrant green color again. You end up wasting less, and the spears are more uniform in size, so they cook more evenly.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. First, we make the crust. Add flour and salt to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse to combine. Add frozen butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal (don’t over-pulse, the butter should still be pea-sized). Transfer into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together sour cream, water, and lemon juice. Pour into the flour mixture and use your hands to form everything into a ball. Freeze for 20 minutes (keeping the butter cold is what gives you a light, flaky crust).
3. Next, we make the filling. In a bowl, add the three cheeses (reserving 2 tbsp parmesan cheese for later), olive oil, garlic, a pinch of sea salt, and a few turns of freshly cracked pepper. Set aside.
4. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
5. Pull the dough from the freezer, and roll the dough out on a well-floured surface. The dough should be approximately 14″ in diameter.
6. Transfer the dough to the parchment paper lined sheet – I find it easiest to gently roll the dough around the rolling pin, and then pick it up and transfer it, then unroll.
7. Gently spread the cheese mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 2″-wide strip uncovered around the outside edge. Arrange the asparagus spears in a row.
8. Fold the outside edges of the dough toward the center, in a pleating motion.
9. Whisk together the egg and 1 teaspoon of water. Brush the crust with the egg wash, and sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the galette.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese filling has started to brown. Remove from the oven and gently set on a cooling rack to keep the bottom crispy.