Caramelized Onion Galette Recipe: A Rustic, Savory French Pie by Terri Kendrick

I must admit that this recipe, inspired by PlaysWellwithButter.com, simultaneously intrigued me and intimidated me. I’ve only made bread once and never a crust of any sort. But on a lazy, rainy Sunday, I was inspired to throw caution to the wind and give this caramelized onion galette recipe a try. I figured that the worst that could happen would be I had to come up with a new dinner on the fly!

A term in French cuisine, a “galette” is a type of round, freeform crusty cake. It can also be used to describe a single-crust, freeform (kind of rustic) pie like this caramelized onion galette. While the process for this recipe took a while (and was sort of messy thanks to my lack of prowess with flour), it ended up being a whole lot easier and more foolproof than it looked. And the result was perfection!

This crumbly, buttery crust pie with a flavorful savory filling makes a delicious dinner paired with a simple salad. And leftovers (if you have any!) heat up well in the toaster oven the next day for lunch. To make this French galette you will need sweet onions (read about the health benefits of onions), gruyere cheese, butter, olive oil, kosher salt, fresh thyme, dry sherry, flour, fresh herbs, apple cider vinegar and an egg for an egg wash.

The best part of this savory tart recipe will be your feeling of accomplishment. It's not everyone who can say they've made a galette!

Cuisine: French 
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Topping

• 3 very large sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry sherry

Crust

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup hardy fresh herbs, chopped (I used rosemary)
• 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ice water (about 6 to 7 tablespoons)
• egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

Recipe Notes

• If you don’t have fresh thyme, substitute 1 teaspoon of dried.

• Be patient with caramelizing. It’ll take a while but is completely worth it!

• Be sure to keep the butter cold before incorporating with the flour.
  

• For a gluten-free galette, use gluten-free flour.

• I added a little Parmesan to the gruyere, just because I love lots of cheese.
  

• If your oven isn’t preheated once the galette is assembled, pop it in the fridge until you’re ready for baking.

Here’s how to make it:

1. Add the butter and oil to a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the sliced onions, stirring to coat with the oil and butter. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 12 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and season with salt.
   
2. Continue to cook until the onions are deeply browned, about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring to keep the onions from sticking. Be careful not to burn the onions. Once the onions are caramelized, stir in the thyme. Deglaze the pan with the sherry, scraping up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for a few minutes or until the sherry is reduced. Remove from the heat and cool.
   
3. As the onions are caramelizing, prepare the crust. Add the flour, herbs and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine well. Add the cold butter, about a quarter at a time, and pulse to cut the butter into the flour. The butter should end up pea-sized and the flour mixture should look a little bit like coarsely grated Parmesan cheese. Pulse in the apple cider vinegar and then 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time until the mixture begins to form a dough and hug the outside of the bowl – this usually takes 6 to 7 tablespoons of water.
   
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to form into a ball and then flatten into a disc. Work as quickly as possible. Wrap the dough disc in plastic and transfer to the refrigerator to chill. (Dough can be prepped up to three days in advance.)
   
5. Once the caramelized onions are cooled, roll out the dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to approximately 14 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. (The dough will have uneven edges. That’s why it’s called “rustic.”) Sprinkle about two-thirds of the cheese over the dough, leaving a border of about an inch.
   
6. Spoon the caramelized onions over the cheese.
   
7. Sprinkle the reminder of the cheese on top of the onions.
   
8. Fold the edges of the dough to the edge of the filling to form a freeform edge and transfer the galette, on the parchment paper, to a baking sheet.
   
9. Brush the edge of the crust with the egg wash and bake in a preheated 425-degree oven until the crust is browned, about 30 to 40 minutes (The rack should be in the center of the oven. Let the galette cool for a few minutes before cutting. The crust will be crumbly (if a piece crumbles off, just pop it into your mouth before anyone notices!).
   
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by HappyForks. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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