Rustic...

So how do you all feel about the term "rustic"? I'm a little torn on whether it evokes images of a cute country house by Chip and Joanna or promotional material for a half dilapidated house with "potential". We're going to go with the first in my use of rustic to describe this recipe.

A galette can be described as a freeform pie, either sweet or savory. It is the perfect way to ease into pie making because the crust is supposed to be not quite perfect...or shall we say "rustic". The crust recipe I use is pretty basic and I have faith that you can successfully make it even if it is your first pie crust. I use a food processor to combine the ingredients (except for the fennel seed), then chill the dough, roll out into a circle (or circle-ish shape), fill with the ingredients, bake and enjoy. While the food processor makes things easy, it also makes it easy to over work the dough. As long as you are aware of that, you'll be just fine.

Let's talk about why I love this carrot galette. Firstly, it has one of my favorite cheeses, Fontal. Fontal is a nutty, slight sweet cheese that melts beautifully. If you can't find Fontal, try Fontina which has a stronger flavor. The cheese is topped with fresh thyme, thinly sliced roasted carrots and leeks. The top layer of the carrots and leeks will get nice and crisp which I just love. Surrounding all that goodness is a buttery, flakey crust flavored with fennel seeds. The fennel flavor is excellent in the galette and I think 3/4 teaspoon is delicious but it is a strong flavor so go down to 1/2 teaspoon if you're concerned.

Carrot Galette with Fontal Cheese and Fennel Crust

Buttery fennel crust topped with fontal cheese, fresh thyme, thinly sliced roasted carrots and leeks

Serves: 4 as main, 8 as side/appetizer

Dough Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (156 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut in cubes
4 - 5 tablespoons ice water
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon fennel seed

Dough Instructions:

Mix together the flour and salt
Use either a food processor or forks to cut the butter into the flour until the butter is in rice sized pieces
Add the cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moist (not wet) and can be shaped into a ball
Add the fennel seeds and evenly distribute throughout the dough using your hands
Shape the dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours
*Note: Try to handle/process the dough as little as possible

Galette Ingredients:

1 prepared fennel pie crust (recipe above)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch diagonal slices
1 leek, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup shredded fontal cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Galette Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Toss the carrots and leeks with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper
Roast for 10 minutes and remove from the oven
Remove the pie crust dough from the refrigerator and roll into a 9 - 10 inch circle (should be about 1/4 inch thick)
Add the cheese to the dough, leaving a 2 inch border around the edges
Add the fresh thyme to the top of the cheese and top with the roasted carrots and leeks
Fold the edges of the dough over the filling to form a "crust"
Season the top of the galette with salt and pepper
Brush the beaten egg over the crust and place on a clean piece of parchment on the baking sheet
Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the crust is browned and cooked through. The top pieces of carrots and leeks will get nicely crisped