Spring is officially here and, after a long winter, the sight of all the vibrant spring vegetables is such a welcome sight. Pencil thin asparagus, tender salad greens, sweet peas, artichokes, ramps, young leeks, pea sprouts and fresh chives, are now available at local markets.
This Spring Galette with Asparagus, Baby Spinach and Bacon came about as I was trying to find a way to incorporate a small batch of locally grown asparagus with a handful of some other ingredients that I had in the refrigerator and needed to use up. The other “supporting” characters for this galette were a couple of handfuls of baby spinach, some green onions, a chunk of Gorgonzola cheese and a few slices of bacon. I first thought of making a quiche, but then I opted for the more rustic galette, which I like to think of as a fuss-free cousin of the quiche.
The difference between a galette and a quiche
If you have never made a galette before, the dough is very similar to the one we use for a quiche. Instead of molding it into a tart pan and cook it first on its own before adding the filling and baking it a second time, this is more free form in that it gets baked only once with the filling. Also, while a quiche has a custard, a galette does not.
How to be creative with the filling
The great thing about a galette, a quiche, a crostata or a savory tart, is that every ingredient in the filling is interchangeable. For example, if you do not have asparagus, you can use young leeks instead; if you prefer goat cheese, use that to replace the Gorgonzola; for a vegetarian version, omit the bacon. I find that my most successful recipes are often the result of complete improvisation and using what I happened to have on hand. So give this recipe a try this weekend, and let me know what you came up with!
- For the Dough:
- 1¼ cups AP flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 TBSP. sugar
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 10 TBSP. butter, cut into ½” pieces and kept chilled
- 7 TBSP. ice water
- 1 tsp. white wine (or apple cider) vinegar
- For the Filling:
- 8 oz. thin asparagus
- 6-8 oz. bacon, cut in ½” pieces
- 1 med. onion, sliced
- 2 green onions
- 2 cups packed fresh spinach, chopped
- --- --- salt and pepper
- 4 oz. gorgonzola, crumbled
- 2 TBSP. half and half
- 1 TBSP. Dijon mustard
- 1 lrg. egg, lightly beaten, (divided in half)
- -- pinch salt
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- For the Dough: Process the flours, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, 3 to 4 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until it forms pea-size pieces, about 10 pulses. In a small bowl, measure the ice water and add the vinegar. Drizzle it over the dry ingredients and pulse a couple of times, until the dough just starts to pull away from the sides of the processor. Do not overwork the dough (see note below). Transfer the mixture to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap, press gently into a rough 4-inch square, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll into an 11 x 8-inch rectangle with the short side of the rectangle parallel to the edge of your work surface. Using a bench scraper, bring the bottom third of the dough up, then fold the upper third over it, folding it like a business letter into an 8 x 4-inch rectangle. Turn the dough 90 degrees counterclockwise. Roll out the dough again into 11 x 8-inch rectangle and fold into thirds again. Turn the dough 90 degrees counterclockwise again and repeat rolling and folding into thirds. After the last fold, fold the dough in half to create a 4-inch square. Press the top of the dough gently to seal. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 30 minutes or up to 2 days. (This step is the classic technique of forming and rolling the dough from America's Test Kitchen. If you don’t have the time, skip this step and just roll the dough out to a 14” circle as described in step 4.)
- For the Filling: While the galette dough is resting, make the filling. Rinse the asparagus under cold running water and snap off the bottom end. To do that, take the end of the asparagus between your thumb and forefinger, holding the top half with your other hand, and bend it until it snaps. It will automatically snap at the part where the woody part ends and the tender part starts. Cut the asparagus in half (if they are too long) and set aside. In a large skillet set over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet and reserve. Cook the onion and the green onions in the bacon fat until golden brown (discard some of the fat if it is too much). Add the chopped spinach and cook for a few minutes to wilt. Stir in the asparagus, season everything with salt and pepper and cook for a minute. Remove from the heat. Add the cooked bacon, Gorgonzola, half and half, mustard and half of the beaten egg. Stir gently to incorporate.
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position and heat the oven to 400°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough on a well-floured work surface (or between two pieces of clear wrap) into a 14” circle about ⅛-inch thick. (Trim the edges as needed to form a rough circle.) Transfer the dough to a parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Using a fork, prick the dough a few times. Brush the top of the dough with 1 tsp. of olive oil.
- Assemble the galette: Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Arrange the asparagus on top in a single layer. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the filling. Repeat around the circumference of the dough, overlapping it every 2 to 3 inches; gently pinch the pleated dough to secure but do not press the dough into the filling. Brush the dough with the remaining egg and sprinkle evenly with a little salt.
- Baking: Lower the oven temperature to 375 °F. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the asparagus looks a bit charred, about 30-35 minutes. (After 20 minutes of baking, check to bottom of the galette to make sure it is not too dark – if it is, move it to the middle rack for the rest of the baking). Cool the galette on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Using an offset or wide metal spatula, loosen the galette from the parchment and carefully slide it off the parchment and onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Top it with some freshly grated lemon zest, and drizzle the filling with a little olive oil. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
The galette can stay covered, at room temperature for several hours.
A few similar recipes you might also like:
Leek, Cremini Mushroom and Goat Cheese Galette
THANK YOU FOR READING AND FOLLOWING ALONG
If you are not already following my blog, please subscribe to Marilena’s Kitchen to have every new post delivered right to your inbox!
I love hearing from you, please leave me a comment below.
[…] Spring Galette with Asparagus and Spinach […]