Blueberry Goat Cheese Galette + An Ode To Pie
I don't really talk about my process for crafting a blog post often but I wanted to start because I'm always interested in learning more about how other creatives operate. And I'm just snoopy. What sort of stuff do you like to know about peoples' creative process?
When I get ready to test a recipe, there's always just a little bit of anxiety around my ability to execute the grand idea I have in my head and bring it into reality. But that's also the fun of it for me. Creating something out of nothing. I love the challenge. Admittedly, I am a perfectionist and very self-critical of my work, so if something doesn't come out looking or tasting exactly how I imagined it, it's hard for me not to be bummed. I need to work on this. But I bring this up because I was going through my running list of recipe ideas the other day, brainstorming recipes for the 4th of July and I contemplated a pie. I imagined myself making it and how it would bake up, and be styled, etc and a wave of calm came over me rather than entertaining the possibilities of recipe flops or failures. Because pie rarely fails me. It is infinitely forgiving. It is endlessly adaptable. It is beautiful piping hot and bubbling right out of the oven, it is gorgeous as it settles and cools on a rack tucked away in the corner of the kitchen, it is an invitation to be cozy and comforted when sliced up and shared. Pie it is!
My favorite kind of pie: a galette. I've made several iterations of the rustic free-form pie by now on the blog, and for good reason. It's low-maintenance, it's quick, it's simple, and its' DELICIOUS. And what's more American than pie? So, let's make this one for the 4th and top it with vanilla ice cream and call it a day, ok? Oh and let's talk about the flavors real quick. Goat cheese in pie? Yes. Like a sweet, desserty kinda pie? YASSS. I'm always towing the line between sweet and savory. Juicy, sweet blueberries with a pop of lemony acidy and a tangy creamy goat cheese are all in perfect harmony here wrapped in a buttery, flaky crust. Think of it sort of like a tangier cheesecake kinda vibe. Feel free to swap in any other sort of berry you'd like here, too.
Blueberry Goat Cheese Galette
makes about an 8 inch galette
for the galette
pie crust (recipe below)
6 oz chèvre goat cheese, at room temperature
1 lb fresh blueberries (about 4 cups)
1/3 c organic cane sugar (you can do more or less depending on how sweet your blueberries are)
pinch of salt
2 T arrowroot powder or corn starch
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
for the pie crust
1 1/3 c all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter, cold and cubed ( 1 stick)
1/2 t apple cider vinegar
3 - 4 T ice water
1 T half and half or heavy cream, for brushing
turbinado or raw sugar, for sprinkling
make the crust
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the butter with the flour mixture using a pastry blender (or a food processor) until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Add the vinegar and ice water and stir until the dough just comes together. Pat into a disk, cover in plastic wrap an chill in the fridge at least two hours or overnight, ideally. My advice to you about pie dough: make a double batch of this and tuck the other half away in the freezer. You'll thank yourself later.
assemble the galette
Preheat oven to 400 °F. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest, salt, and arrowroot powder. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into about 1/4 inch thick round. Spread the goat cheese over the dough, leaving about a 2 inch border around all sides. Pour the blueberry mixture over the goat cheese. Fold the edges up over the sides, brush with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Note: Crust recipe slightly adapted from Yossy Arefi
