It‘s almost Easter and no one knows how fast time flies by. For chef Nitten Chughh, culinary director with Caravela Beach Resort Goa, it is cooking that keeps him sane this time of the year.
This Easter, chef Nitten shares with us his recipe of a zucchini, green tomato and Vegan Camembert Galette, which according to his observation is very ‘underrated’. A gallete is defined as a Franco-Italian pie/tart wrapped over a sweet or savoury filling.
First up, here’s the step-wise process to make the base pastry. You can make this in advance; usually prepare it a night before and chill it.
Ingredients:
120 gm Atta (whole-wheat Flour)
50 gm salted butter, chilled cubes
Up to ¼ cup (60 ml) ice-cold water
Procedure:
Place flour and butter in a large bowl. Use the angle-like attachment on a hand blender to knead until pea-sized pieces form (or pulse a few times in a food processor)
Add 1 tbsp of cold water at a time and continue kneading until a ball is formed
Shape into a small disc and refrigerate for overnight.
Remove from refrigerator, roll out the pastry base on parchment paper and put it back in the refrigerator while you prepare the fillings
Just before assembling the galette, remove the base from the refrigerator and transfer to a baking sheet or steel plate/ alternately, retain the silicone base from under the sheet.
Place the toppings leaving about an inch of space all around the edge
Fold the border up over the filling and brush the crust with egg wash
Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes until the edges are nicely golden-brown
Transfer the galette to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing
Serve sweet galettes with a scoop of ice cream if you like
Ingredients for the topping:
100g maida/refined flour
100g wholemeal rye flour
1 tbsp lemon thyme or normal thyme, finely chopped
½ tsp fine sea salt
100gms spring onions, kept whole, roots trimmed
Two zucchini (1/4” wide strips)
50gms mascarpone (or thick hung Greek Yoghurt)
150g soft cheese ( Camembert or Soya based cheese)
1 ripe lime, zested
50g Parmesan or vegan alternative, finely grated
30 gms Toasted pine nuts
A drizzle of olive oil, at final serve
Method:
Step 1
Place the plain flour, rye flour, thyme and sea salt in a large Bakery mixing bowl.
Take the butter out of the freezer and wrap one end in foil, then use this to hold it as you coarsely grate the butter into the flour mixture.
Roughly mix everything, then add 5-6 tbsp cold water and mix swiftly with a cutlery knife to combine, then use your hands to bring it together into a dough and knead briefly. Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hr. Can stay upto 5 days in the chiller.
Step 2
To prepare the topping, heat a flat fry- pan / non-stick frying pan over a high heat until smoking hot, then prepare the spring onions for 1-2 mins, or until you have achieved dark char marks.
Set aside on a plate, then repeat with the sliced zucchini strips.
Step 3
Mix the mascarpone and camembert cheese with the lemon zest and parmesan in a bowl until smooth. Season to taste and set aside.
Step 4
Roll thin the pastry sheet into a rectangle roughly 10” X 12”.Use finger tips to prepare the pastry into a heaped border.
Spread the cheese mixture over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border. Top with the spring onions and brush the border with some chilled water. Carefully transfer the galette pastry onto a baking sheet. Chill for 30 mins.
Step 5
Heat the oven to 180-200ºC and put another baking sheet inside to get hot. Brush the edges with cold water, then slide the galette, while still on its paper, onto the hot baking sheet.
Bake for 30 mins, then top with the zucchini & bake for another 5 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp at the edges. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and scatter over some pine nuts, if you like.
