Charred Courgette Lemon Goats Cheese Galette Food

CHARRED COURGETTE, LEMON & GOAT'S CHEESE GALETTE

Steps:

• The night before you make the galette, wrap the butter and put it in the freezer. When you're ready to make the pastry, put the plain flour, rye flour, thyme and sea salt in a large mixing bowl. Take the butter out of the freezer and wrap one end in foil, then use this to hold it as you coarsely grate the butter into the flour mixture. Unwrap the last piece of butter and carefully grate that in as well. Roughly mix everything, then add 5-6 tbsp cold water and mix swiftly with a cutlery knife to combine, then use your hands to bring it together into a dough and knead briefly. Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hr. Will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
• For the topping, heat a griddle pan or non-stick frying pan over a high heat until searing hot, then griddle the spring onions in two batches and on each side for 1-2 mins, or until you have achieved dark char marks. Set aside on a plate, then repeat with the courgette strips. You can do this the day before and keep the cooked vegetables in an airtight container overnight.
• Mix the mascarpone and goat's cheese with the lemon zest and parmesan in a bowl until smooth. Season to taste and set aside.
• Roll the pastry out between two pieces of baking parchment to a rectangle roughly 35 x 25cm. Peel off the top layer of parchment and spread the cheese mixture over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border. Top with the spring onions and brush the border with some of the beaten egg. Use the parchment underneath to slide the galette onto a baking sheet. Chill for 30 mins.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put another baking sheet inside to get hot. Brush the edges with more beaten egg, then slide the galette, still on its paper, onto the hot baking sheet. Bake for 30 mins, then top with the courgette and bake for a further 5 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp at the edges. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and scatter over some pine nuts, if you like. Goes well with mint sauce.

COURGETTE, LEEK & GOAT'S CHEESE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the leeks for a few mins to soften. Add the courgettes, then cover the pan and cook for 5 mins more. Pour in the stock, cover and cook for about 7 mins.
• Add the spinach, then cover the pan and cook for 5 mins so that it wilts. Take off the heat and blitz until really smooth with a hand blender. Add the goat's cheese and basil, then blitz again.
• If you're making this recipe as part of our two-person Summer Healthy Diet Plan, spoon half the soup into two bowls or large flasks, then cool and chill the remainder for another day. Reheat in a pan or microwave to serve. If serving in bowls, scatter with some extra basil leaves and the seeds, and eat with the rye bread.

SUMMER VEGETABLE GALETTE

Steps:

• In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or in a large bowl, pulse or mix together the flours, sugar, and salt. In a measuring cup, lightly beat the egg, then add just enough cream to get to 1/3 cup. Lightly whisk the egg and cream together.
• Add butter to flour mixture and pulse or use a pastry cutter or your fingers to break up the butter. If using a food processor, do not over-process; you need chickpea-size chunks of butter. Drizzle the egg mixture (up to 1/4 cup) over the dough and pulse or stir until it just starts to come together but is still mostly large crumbs. Mix in lemon juice and zest if using.
• Put the dough on lightly floured counter and knead to make one uniform piece. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
• When you are ready to make the tart, roll out dough to a 12-inch round (it can be ragged). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill while preparing the filling.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread out eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes in one layer on three separate sheet pans or cookie sheets. Drizzle generously with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables, tossing zucchini and eggplant occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes. Eggplant and tomatoes will be golden at the edges; zucchini will be tender. Don't let the vegetables get too dark because they will continue to brown in the tart. Transfer vegetables to a bowl (you want to have about 3 cups of them) and toss with chile peppers.
• Decrease oven temperature to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine goat cheese, garlic and thyme leaves. Spread mixture in a thin layer over crust, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all around. Arrange vegetables evenly over goat cheese. Fold up edges of crust, pleating to hold it in (sloppy is fine). Brush pastry generously with leftover egg and cream mixture.
• Transfer galette to oven and bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.