A Squash Galette for Thanksgiving
A galette perfectly illustrates the whole principle of “building block” cooking: you’ve got crust, and you’ve got fillings, and then you assemble them. This recipe features the basic Start Simple galette crust that’s such a go-to I could make it in my sleep (you can substitute your own favorite pie crust recipe for sure), plus slabs of roasted winter squash. Then the other elements—tangy and sweet caramelized onions, a thin layer of creamy cheese, just enough fresh herbs to notice—serve to bridge those flavors and textures.
At Thanksgiving, I like the idea of this galette not only because it’s showy and worth the bit of extra effort, but because it utilizes ingredients you’ll probably have already bought for the rest of the meal. Also it’s just as delicious at room temperature as it is warm—so you can easily make it in advance.
A couple other notes:
If you want to pre-peel and slice your squash before roasting, feel free to—you’ll get more caramelization that way, and perhaps a prettier galette. I just find winter squash much easier to deal with once it’s cooked, hence my process here.
I think a good, mild or herb-flavored nut-based ricotta-style cheese could be really tasty, so if you wish to veganize the galette, use something like Earth Balance or Miyokos’ Cultured butter in the crust, and omit the parmesan.
Dill is such a distinctive herb here, in the cheese layer and then sprinkled on top, but I know it can be divisive. Omit the herbs, or substitute others like better as you wish.
Squash Galette
Serves 6
Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Filling
1 small or ½ med-large butternut squash, halved through the stem
Olive oil
1 large yellow or white onion, diced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ cup whole-milk ricotta
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for dusting
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs: dill, parsley, thyme, chives, plus additional for garnish (optional)
Egg wash (egg yolk plus a splash or water, whisked together), or water, for brushing the dough
PREPARE THE CRUST. Stir together the flour and salt, then add the cold butter and toss to combine. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour, pinching it between your thumbs and fingers until you’ve got a ragged mixture with irregular pieces of butter still intact, the largest about the size of an almond. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture and use a fork to quickly incorporate. Keep adding water by the ½ tablespoon until it just appears moistened—a dough that’s too wet will lead to a tough crust, so err on the side of it seeming a little dry. Dump the mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. Working from the outside of the plastic, shape it into a flat disc. Wrap, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
ROAST THE SQUASH. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Rub the squash piece(s) all over with olive oil and place cut-side down on baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, then flip the squash and continue cooking until tender all over, another 10 to 30 minutes—you should be able to pierce the thickest part of the squash with a paring knife and meet very little resistance. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the seeds and discard them. Peel off the skin, then cut the squash in to half-moons and half-rings, about 1/2-inch thick.
CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS, AND PREPARE CHEESE FILLING. Warm 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, maple syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring every now and then, until well caramelized and sweet—15 to 20 minutes. (Taste as you go, and adjust the heat level, too, if they threaten to burn.) Deglaze with the apple cider vinegar, stirring until the pan is mostly dry, then remove from the heat to cool. Meanwhile, stir together the ricotta, ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese, and pepper to taste in a mixing bowl.
ASSEMBLE. Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a circle about 13 inches in diameter. Roll from the center, rotating 90 degrees after each roll, and adding a bit more flour as needed if the dough sticks. Drape the rolled dough over a rolling pin and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the cheese layer evenly over the crust, leaving about 1-½-inch rim. Spread the onions over the cheese, then arrange the squash pieces however you wish. Fold the crust around over the fillings, pleating rustically as you go. Brush the exposed pastry with egg wash or water, then dust generously with finely grated parmesan cheese and several grinds of pepper, all over both the filling and the crust. Draped with a piece of plastic wrap, you can store the galette in the refrigerator up to overnight before baking—but wait on the egg wash and parmesan until just before baking.
BAKE. Preheat the oven to 375F, then bake the galette until the crust is well bronzed (use a metal spatula to gently lift the galette to see that the crust is browned on its bottom side), about 45 minutes to an hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.