Baking Therapy: Galettes 101

It’s Saturday night and my wife, Orchid, and I are scouring the bare shelves of nearly every local grocer looking to get our hands on as many eggs and as much flour as we can find. Normally, we would be enjoying a date night at Takashi, but we’re in a pandemic. Our fight-or-flight response kicks into high gear as we watch frantic shoppers pushing their way through the baking aisle, all in search of that same white powder that will put their anxiety at ease and allow them a moment of comfort while chaos unfolds in the world around them.

Once the pandemic first began, like many others, my spouse, Orchid, and I turned to our kitchen to provide comfort amid our newfound confinement. With restaurants closed down across the valley, we dusted off some old recipes and committed to mastering the art of the galette. Galettes are defined as a tart with a single crust of bread dough and filling. Orchid took to work on the dough based on a recipe from our old friends at the former Bubble & Brown bakery, and I began crafting the fillings centered around some favorite, local food establishments. After months of trial and error, these are our end results:

B&B Pastry Dough Mark 36

Ingredients:

– 680 grams Central Milling Co. All Purpose Flour
– 28 grams sugar
– 28 grams Redmond Real Salt
– Pinch of baking powder
– 454 grams chilled unsalted butter – cubed (vegetable-based shortening as a vegan alternative) 

Preparation:

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Toss the chilled butter throughout to coat each butter cube, then begin breaking the cubes up into the flour, flattening as you go. Once the mixture appears shaggy and coarse, create a well in the center of the mixture and fill with 10 tablespoons of cold water. Gradually mix the ingredients into the well, starting from the sides and working towards the center and turning the bowl as you go. Continue mixing until your mix is clumpy and the bulk of the water has been absorbed (add cold water as needed until formed to dough).

Once you have completed the mixing, roll the dough out in a large sheet and begin folding the dough into thirds. This will create multiple layers and will help marble the butter throughout. Repeat the process three–four times. Shape the dough into a folded rectangular shape and wrap in plastic. Chill for two hours (the dough will hold in the fridge for five days or six months in the freezer). When ready to use, measure out 113 grams of chilled dough and flatten to a circle shape with a rolling pin. 

Fillings:

As a food photographer for SLUG, I have had the privilege of meeting some of the best chefs that Utah has to offer while also getting to enjoy some of their incredible foods sourced from local ingredients. When the pandemic first hit, there was no business hit harder than the restaurant industry, and support immediately came flooding through from every corner of the valley to help keep these businesses alive. Whether it was curbside pickup or just buying a gift card for post-pandemic use, people came out in droves to support their favorite grubberies.

When we first took on this project, I wanted to make sure we did our part to support local businesses and create memorable flavors that highlight Utah’s food scene. As a photographer, I want to ensure that each galette showcased the ingredients of one local business while also transforming it beyond its traditional use. For this feature, I chose to showcase four businesses that have become a staple of Salt Lake City and have been local favorites of mine for many years: Amour Café, Beehive Cheese, Beltex Meats and Liberty Heights Fresh.

Golden Rose Galette
Amour Café

1329 S. 500 East • Salt Lake City, Utah 84105
Avalible for pickup or delivery
801.467.2947
amourspreads.com/cafe

Amour Café and Spreads has become our home away from home ever since we moved into the Liberty Heights neighborhood. Caycee and John have brought so much life to our town with their creative take on jams that can be incorporated into any sweet or savory dish. For this galette, we simply wanted to enhance the flavors of their Apricot Rose jam through the incorporation of fresh fruit, rosebuds and thyme (to add an earthy element). Needless to say, this galette has quickly become one of our favorites of the bunch.

Ingredients:

– 4 oz. of Amour Spreads Apricot-Rose Jam
– 1 apricot
– 1 tsp rosewater
– rose buds
– raw cane sugar
– 1 bunch fresh thyme

Preparation:

Slice the apricot into thin (roughly ¼-inch thick) slices. Mix slices with Amour Spreads Apricot-Rose Jam, add 1 tsp of rosewater to enhance the floral notes and mix with 1 teaspoon fresh thyme. Place a single slice of apricot in the center of your galette and pour 2 tablespoons of the jam mixture into the center, allowing it to flow out from the center. Begin folding in your edges. Brush the edge with melted butter and top with raw cane sugar and fresh thyme. Bake at 375 degrees until the crust has a golden-brown color (approx. 30–35 minutes). Sprinkle over raw rosebud petals for added flavor. Let cool and enjoy.

Heirloom in the Sea
Beehive Cheese

2440 E. 6600 South #8 • Uintah, Utah 84405
Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
801.476.0900
beehivecheese.com

For years, Beehive Cheese has been integrated into nearly every large food event Salt Lake has to offer. Having sampled, bought and “charcuteried” nearly every one of their cheeses, it was no surprise that they would be my go-to for any dish that incorporates cheese. Orchid has pressed me for months to craft an heirloom-tomato galette and the Seahive cheese immediately came to mind for its complex salty characteristics that enhance the fresh heirloom flavors. This is one galette that we’ve revisited time and time again.

Ingredients:

– 8 oz. Beehive Seahive Cheese
– 1 large heirloom tomato
– salt & pepper
– olive oil
– oregano 

Preparation:

Slice the heirloom tomato into thin pieces, roughly ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle slices with salt, pepper and oregano on each side and set aside. Cut two–four pieces of the Seahive cheese into flat sheets about two inches in diameter. Take the remaining cheese and lightly coat in olive oil. Microwave the remaining cheese for one–two minutes until soft and malleable. Place a single tomato slice in the center of your galette. Layer with the sheets of cheese. Add another slice of tomato on top. With a spoon, scoop a bit of the microwaved cheese into a ball and place in the center of your galette. Begin folding in your edges. Brush the edge with olive oil and top with salt, pepper and oregano. Bake at 375 degrees until the crust has a golden-brown color (approx. 30–35 minutes). Let cool and enjoy!

Coppa-Cotta Galette
Beltex Meats

511 E. Harvey Milk Blvd. • Salt Lake City, Utah 84105
Open Tue.–Fri. • Delivery only
801.532.2641
beltexmeats.com

When Beltex Meats first set up shop across from Liberty Park, I worried about the kinds of success a butcher could have in that area. Needless to say, my concerns were wiped away the moment I stepped foot in their door and tried their award-winning cured coppa. Since that first tasting, I have become a regular connoisseur of all their cured meats. The saltiness from the coppa allows it to take center stage as it rests on a bed of local Rustic Tomato Sauce and Beehive ricotta cheese, giving this dish a savory, pizza-like finish.

Ingredients:

– Beltex Meats Award-Winning Cured Coppa
– Rustic Tomato Sauce: Sweet and Savory
– Beehive Cheese Co. Ricotta Cheese
– olive oil
– parmesan cheese
– thyme
– salt and pepper

Preparation:

Starting with a base of tomato sauce, pour two tablespoons of sauce in the center of your dough and spread in a circular pattern, as if you were making a pizza. Top with ricotta cheese. Finish it off by laying strips of Beltex Coppa meat across the top (roughly three–four pieces). Drizzle with olive oil and fold in the edges of the dough, layering one fold over the other to form a hexagon-like shape. Be sure to seal your edges, as the sauce will leak. Brush the edges with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and parmesan cheese and bake at 375 degrees until the crust has a golden-brown color (approx. 30–35 minutes). Let cool and enjoy!

Rhuberry Mary Galette
Liberty Heights Fresh

1290 S. 1100 East • Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–8 p.m. • Sat.–Sun., 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
801.583.7374
libertyheightsfresh.com

Liberty Heights Fresh is your one-stop shop for all things local, and stepping into the space allows your imagination to run wild with flavor combinations. Not a month has gone by during the pandemic that I haven’t returned to their shop eager to explore something new and unexpected. For this dish, we wanted to feature some of the organic goods that are offered throughout the shop. Rhubarb, raspberries and rosemary all jumped off the shelves for this galette, and this could not be a better marriage of flavors.

Ingredients (All available at Liberty Heights Fresh Market):

– 1 stalk organic rhubarb from Liberty Heights Fresh
– 2 cartons fresh raspberries
– 1 tablespoon raw cane sugar
– ½ cup white sugar
– 1 bunch organic rosemary 

Preparation:

In a saucepan, combine raspberries and 1 strand of rosemary with ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil and reduce by half until thick and syrup-like. Strain mixture into a medium-sized bowl. Cut rhubarb in half lengthwise, then cut into two–three-inch strands. Toss in the raspberry rhubarb syrup. Pour two tablespoons of syrup in the center of your dough and spread in a circular pattern as if you were making a pizza. Layer the rhubarb on top and begin folding in your edges. Be sure to seal your edges, as the syrup will leak. Brush the edge with melted butter, sprinkle with raw cane sugar and bake at 375 degrees until the crust has a golden-brown color (approx. 30–35 minutes). Let cool and enjoy.