Spring Vegetable Galette with Pumpkin Seed Crema

A brain block

Before making this galette, I had been going back and forth with myself for some time about what I presented on this blog. Because… we all know blogs, like social media, are cultivated presentations, ya? Hopefully helpful ones. Hopefully funny ones… I strive for the recipes to be ones that light me up in someway, because otherwise why share a recipe? It’s like sharing a meal–let me offer something special that I know either you love, or that I love, and I want to show you why there’s that love there.

So the mental block was surrounding the types of foods people can eat! I offer dietary tags such as keto, paleo,  specific carbohydrate diet, autoimmune protocol, because if we can keep those options open for people who are choosing to align with them, then dang, the more, the merrier!

A galette, unlocked

But what was getting me was that feeling of restriction, of pigeon-holing myself. There’s a fine line between creating structure in which creativity can ping pong around and flourish, and structure that is no longer warranted or doesn’t quite… hit the mark! Which is what I realized was happening so quick! Pivot and find what makes you smile real quick.

What was that today?

A vegetable galette, made with a dough that’s 100% brown rice flour–no binders, no paleofying, nothing grain-free here but for those who choose to omit gluten, and desire flexibility to make a dough and get their hands in the flour (and butter…)

Well then, here we are. Together.

Delicate and doable

I knew that setting out to make a dough without some sort of binder, for a gluten-free bake, would yield a pretty tender crust.

A) Delicious!

B) Eeeeeek, delicate!

But never fear. The only way to play is to get your hands dirty, and this crust is totally manageable! Plus, once baked, it is so flaky and browns so nicely… one may find themselves hankering to make another spring galette quite soon. I mean, there are plenty of spring vegetables to choose from… use this as a structure and don’t feel pigeonholed. See? 

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Spring Vegetable Galette with Pumpkin Seed Crema

This gluten-free galette is a special way to pay attention to the tender greens gracing our spring kitchens! Switch out the chard for any greens you prefer, and play around with asparagus, endive or other vegetables that catch your eye in the market.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Dough Chilling Time 2 hours

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1.5 sticks chilled butter cut into tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 1/2 cup ice water

Galette Filling

• 3 cups Swiss chard leaves stems removed and thinly sliced
• 1 cup thinly sliced fennel root
• 3 large garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil

Pumpkin Seed Crema

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds not roasted
• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk thinned with a bit of water
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• grind or two of black pepper

Garnish

• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fennel fronds

Instructions

Dough

1. In a large bowl, mix the brown rice flour and sea salt. Then, add the chilled butter and begin to work the butter into the flour quickly with your fingers. You’re looking for a sandy texture.
2. Add the apple cider vinegar and ice water to the bowl, stirring with a spoon until it begins to come together. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball, flatten slightly into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until thoroughly chilled. You can also make this earlier in the week.

Galette Filling

1. In a pan over medium low heat, melt the butter. Add in the sliced garlic and gently stir, then add in the Swiss chard, fennel, sea salt and black pepper. Sauté gently over medium low heat for 5 minutes, until the chard cooks down. Goal here is to not burn or brown the garlic, only to soften it. Set aside vegetable filling and allow to cool briefly while you make the pumpkin seed cream.

Pumpkin Seed Crema

1. In a blender, combine the pumpkin seeds, coconut cream, water, sea salt, black pepper and lemon zest. Blend on high until a smooth crema is made, then transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.

Making the Galette

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grab a baking tray.
2. Take the dough out of the fridge and remove plastic wrap. On a piece of parchment paper, gingerly begin to roll out the dough into a 12 inch oval. The dough, because it is gluten-free, is very delicate, and this is ok. We can patch anything that needs patching.
3. Once the dough is rolled out, place the baking tray over the dough and using the parchment paper, flip the dough on the tray.
4. Spoon the pumpkin seed crema onto the dough, leaving 1.5 inches along the edge of the dough uncovered.
5. Add the vegetable filling on top of the pumpkin seed crema, either piling it high for a real rustic look, or allowing just a thin layer. Up to you!
6. Begin to pull the edges of the dough up to slightly cover the filling, creating the crust of the galette. Again, patch areas that crack.
7. Brush the thinned coconut cream onto the crust—this will help it brown while baking. If you like eggs, you can also use a beaten egg in place of the coconut cream for brushing the crust.
8. Bake the galette for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
9. Combine the zest, parsley and fennel fronds in a small bowl. Garnish the finished galette.