Broccoli and Cheddar Galette
A tribute to broccoli and the power of a good recipe.
Hey everyone :)
November already feels like the longest year ever. Right?
So many folks have more eloquently expressed their feelings about the election over the last week than i’ll ever be able to. It’s easy to feel defeated, lost, and fearful but listening to others is what’s helping right now. Social media pushes for constant commentary and response but genuine quiet listening/reading can help recenter the conversation away from reactionary voices and hopelessness.
Many times in my life, I’ve turned to cooking or baking to create a sense of calm. During graduate school, I started following recipes because they felt like the only thing at the time that was predictable. The promise of a good recipe is that if you do things the right way, the outcome will be a success. As someone who struggles with control, the allure of a recipe is strong. They are often my comfort amidst chaos.
When a recipe doesn’t work out as intended it can be easy to blame yourself. Maybe you didn’t read through the entire thing before you started or maybe you skipped a step, or perhaps you made too many substitutions when the omitted ingredients were actually very critical. It’s also easy to assign fault to your surroundings or the tools at hand. That faulty oven that you’ve been meaning to buy a thermometer for, that cast iron skillet that you’ve tried your best to season but just never seems quite right.
In truth, there are so many reasons why a recipe can go awry. Beyond your skillset and environment, the ingredients themselves also matter. Maybe something was unknowingly expired or not yet at its peak. What looked great in the produce aisle might not seem so when it’s home and laid on your counter. Learning to be comfortable in the kitchen, or just the simple act of feeding yourself or those you love is a marathon, not a sprint. The most important lesson is that you don’t give up. Small achievements (and small failures) will lead you to a lifetime of overall success.
We’re all stumbling toward some concrete position on the spectrum of acceptance and resolve. In looking for answers it can be easy to forget the power found in simple acts of nourishment, community, and resistance. Lending a cookbook, baking a birthday cake, sharing food with those in need and offering your time to your community- all small actions that lead to something greater than its parts, just like a recipe.
Some resources for ways and places to give your time and support:
A few notes about this recipe…
I love love love broccoli. Steamed or roasted. This recipe was developed to celebrate both ways of cooking broccoli. The stems and part of the florets get steamed in the cheesy, garlicy filling and the galette is topped with big planks of broccoli that get nice and crispy while baking.
Use a really sharp white cheddar. Something aged would be ideal. To make shopping easier, this recipe uses one 8 oz. block of cheese.
By now hopefully you know what spelt flour is. It’s a whole grain flour that behaves a bit more like all-purpose. The flavor is nutty and just a little sweet. I highly recommend seeking it out, it’s very easy to find these days. Regular whole wheat flour here will yield a dryer dough.
There are a lot of process photos at the end of this post, be sure to check them out if the instructions seem complicated.
Investing in a Microplane grater is highly recommended. I use it in my kitchen all the time! For garlic, ginger, cheese, nutmeg, so many uses. If you use your’s frequently and have had it for more than a year or two, I recommend getting a new one. You’ll be shocked at what a difference it makes!
Cheddar Spelt Galette Dough
makes one large galette, about 11 to 12 inches
170g spelt flour
100g all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
113g unsalted butter, cold
60g sharp white cheddar
7 to 8 tablespoons (100g to 113g) ice water
Broccoli Filling
3 large crowns of broccoli with 3 to 4 inches of stem attached
42g (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
30g (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
4 large gloves garlic, finely grated
166g sharp white cheddar, finely grated (save a handful to decorate the edge of the galette if you’d like)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more if you enjoy the heat)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons water or vegetable stock
1 egg yolk + 1 1/2 tablespoon water
Make the galette dough
In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Toss in the butter and pinch and smear the butter cubes into the flour until the mixture is crumbly like wet sand with small lumps of butter the size of M&Ms. Add the finely grated cheddar to the bowl and toss with the flour.
Sprinkle in 7 tablespoons (100g) of the water and stir with a rubber spatula. Switch to using hands to mix the dough gently until it comes together into a large shaggy mass. Add the extra tablespoon (13g) of water if the dough appears dry.
Pour the dough onto a clean surface and knead once or twice. Pat into a disc about 6 inches across then wrap in plastic and chill for one hour or up to two days. Dough can be frozen for one month. Place in the fridge the night before you plan on using.
Remove the chilled dough and place onto a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle about 14 to 16 inches wide. Rolling from the center outward and then rotating the dough will help ensure the dough stays round. Slide the dough onto a piece of parchment and slide the parchment onto a sheet tray. Chill the rolled dough while you make the filling. Preheat the oven to 375F.
Make the broccoli filling
Use the small holes on a box grater or a microplane to finely grate the stems of the three broccoli crowns. You can use a small knife or a peeler to remove any super gnarly or discolored sections before you begin. Set aside in a small bowl.
Finely chop two of the broccoli crowns until you have what I like to call broccoli confetti. (Pieces should be the size of small peas.) Set aside in a medium bowl.
Slice the last broccoli crown into thin planks. Some of the broccoli will fall apart and that’s okay. Place in a medium bowl and toss with a splash of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the butter and olive oil. When the butter is melted and bubbling, add the flour and whisk continuously as the mixture goes from dry and lumpy to a smoothly textured batter. Reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk until the flour is golden but not brown. It should smell nutty, like toasted almonds.
Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, grated cheddar, and the grated broccoli stems. Stir to combine and increase the heat to back to medium. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic and broccoli stems are softened. The cheese might look lumpy, and that’s okay.
Stir in the chopped broccoli crowns and add the water/stock. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. When finished, the chopped broccoli will be tender and the rest of the mixture should be thick and homogenous. If it looks broken at all, use a spatula to stir. Pour onto a plate or shallow bowl and cool to room temperature. Mixture can be cooled in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to two days before the galette is assembled and baked.
Assemble and bake
If needed, preheat the oven to 375F with a rack in the middle position. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, leaving it on the parchment lined sheet tray.
Spread the cooled broccoli and cheddar filling onto the dough, leaving about 2 1/2 inches of exposed dough around the edge. When the filling is spread evenly, place the thinly sliced planks of broccoli crown in an even layer on top and gently press each slice into the filling.
Fold the edges of the galette inward, overlapping to create pleats every 2 to 3 inches. Whisk together the egg yolk and water and brush a thin coat of this egg wash on any of the exposed dough. Sprinkle your reserved handful of cheddar atop the galette, being sure to get the crust. Give the surface of the galette a few big cranks of freshly ground pepper before baking for 40 to 45 minutes. When the galette is finished, the crust should be deeply golden brown and the filling should be bubbling and thick. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving. I recommend a big squeeze or fresh lemon juice right before enjoying.
