Savoury breakfast galettes

Free-form tarts a delicious, make-ahead morning treat!

I have always believed that pie is a perfectly acceptable breakfast food. In my case, that has usually meant sneaking a slice of leftover fruit pie out of the fridge, but I decided it was time to come up with a made-for-morning option. The word ‘galette’ refers to the free-form pastry seen here that makes for tarts or pies which are rustic-looking and delicious, with the filling exposed in the centre. In the case of these savoury tarts, I’ve packed them with spinach, mushrooms, onions, ham and cheese and while they are terrific on their own, they’re even more fantastic with a poached egg on top. The tarts can be assembled ahead of time then baked fresh in the morning, or baked ahead and reheated (while the eggs poach). If you’re a fan of savoury tarts, you might also enjoy these peach, ricotta and arugula ones. For dishes like this, you can also use puff pastry or your preferred pastry recipe, including gluten-free ones.

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 1 1/4 cups (145 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) white sugar
• 1/2 cup (115 g) cold butter
• 1 egg yolk (reserve the white for brushing the crust before baking)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons (45 – 60 mL) ice water

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
• 1/2 cup (70 g) chopped onion
• 1/2 cup (40 g) sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup (65 g) diced cooked ham
• 1 cup (45 g) chopped raw spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup (55 g) grated Swiss or Cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) dried thyme leaves
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 4 eggs, for poaching (optional but delicious)

Method

• Make the pastry by putting the flour, salt and sugar in the work bowl of a food processor; cut the butter into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) sized pieces and add to the bowl. Pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (about 15 seconds).
• Beat together the egg yolk and 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of the ice water. With the machine running, pour the egg yolk mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream. Turn off machine as soon as you have finished adding the water. Pinch a teaspoonful of the dough with your fingers to see if it holds together. If it seems a bit dry, add one more tablespoon (15 mL) of water and process for 5 seconds more.
• Alternatively, to prepare the dough by hand, put the flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and toss with two forks to combine. Add beaten egg yolk combined with 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of ice water and stir quickly with a fork. Pinch dough to test, as above, and add more water if needed, stirring briefly.
• Turn the pastry out onto the counter and use your hands to gather it into a cylinder about 4 inches long. Cut into four even-sized discs and wrap each in plastic wrap then refrigerate for one hour. If you’re in a rush, pop the wrapped pastry into the freezer for 20 minutes or so. It’s much easier to roll out when chilled. Note that the pastry can made and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead, or frozen for up to a month.
• Once the pastry has chilled, remove from refrigerator, unwrap, and sprinkle both sides of the pastry with a little bit of flour. Place between two large sheets of parchment paper. Working always from the centre of the discs, roll each one into a circle about seven inches (18 cm) in diameter. Lay the pastry circles out onto two parchment-lined baking sheets and refrigerate or freeze for 5 minutes. If preparing pastry to assemble tarts in the morning, cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge overnight.
• While pastry rounds are chilling, prepare filling, Melt butter in a medium-sized frying pan placed over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until both are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and place in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes.
• Once onions and mushrooms are cooled, stir in the ham, spinach, cheese, thyme and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight if not assembling tarts immediately.
• To assemble the tarts, start by preheating oven to 425F.
• Divide the prepared filling among the four pastry rounds, placing in the centre of each circle and leaving a one inch (2.5 cm) border on the outside of each pastry circle. The filling should be mounded up in the centre; it will shrink as the galettes bake.
• Carefully fold the empty pastry border towards the centre of the tart, pleating the dough gently as you work your way around the circle. Note that the centre of the tart will remain open, exposing the filling. Brush the pastry border with the beaten egg white.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 425F then reduce heat to 375 and bake for 10 more minutes. Turn oven off but leave galettes in there to stay warm while you cook the eggs.
• If your galettes are baked ahead of time and refrigerated, reheat in a 350F oven for 15 minutes. Turn off oven and poach or fry eggs to put on top, if using, then serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.