Walla Walla Sweet Galette

Lately, I have been obsessed with galettes, which are sweet or savory free-form tarts that are as much a celebration of good crust as they are about a tasty filling. Balanced and rustic, these baked delights have an inherent laid-back elegance. Here, I make a galette that highlights our region's beautiful sweet onions with a dash of thyme and Gruyère. However, it is the perfectly golden, flakey crust that makes this a truly memorable bite. This dish is a fitting way to pay tribute to our local harvest, and all the hard-working farmers, big or small, who are such an integral part of our valley.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon fine salt)

• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• 8 tablespoons, (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold

• ¼ cup ice water

For the filling:

•3 to 4 Walla Walla Sweet onions, (or other sweet onion variety), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

•2 tablespoons butter

•2 tablespoons olive oil

•Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

•4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish

•2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

•½ cup beef or chicken stock

•1 ½ to 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

•1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded (see notes)

Directions:

First, make the crust. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and black pepper. Cut the butter into ½-inch cubes and toss into the dry mixture. Working quickly, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it has a course pebbly texture. There should be large irregular pieces of butter throughout. Add the water, a little bit at a time, and mix in with a fork until a shaggy dough just comes together. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and gently pat into a square. Use a rolling pin and roll dough into a ½-thick rectangle, then fold dough over itself three times back into a square. Gently press together then wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

While the crust is chilling, caramelize the onions. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, the thyme sprigs, and a few cracks of black pepper to taste. Stir to coat all the onions in the butter and oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to become translucent and begin to lightly brown on the sides, about 20 minutes. As you cook, scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. When the onions are beginning to turn a light golden, turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook. When the onions are an even golden color, add the vinegar, and deglaze the bottom of pan. When the vinegar has cooked off, add the stock and stir to combine. Continue to cook until all the liquid from the stock is gone. Stirring constantly, keep cooking until the onions are shiny and a rich chestnut brown, about another 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Remove from heat and allow onions to cool for at least 30 minutes. Discard thyme stems.

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 13-inch round. Using rolling pin, carefully transfer dough to baking sheet. Spread the Dijon over the dough in an even thin layer, leaving about a 2-inch border around the edges. Scatter the caramelized onions over the mustard, spreading in an even layer. Next, sprinkle two-thirds of the cheese over the top of the onions. Season top with a little pinch of salt and black pepper. Fold the edges up and over the onions, slightly overlapping as you go to make a rustic, crimped edge.

Set tray in hot oven and bake until dough is golden brown, about 40 to 50 minutes, rotating pan halfway into the baking process. Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese around the top of the crust. Bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove galette from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish the top with fresh, destemmed thyme leaves. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes:

Gruyère is a lovely semi-hard cheese from Switzerland that has a distinctive nutty flavor. You can often find it in groceries with large, imported cheese sections. If you cannot find Gruyère cheese, you could substitute with Comté or Swiss cheese. For a delightful alternate version, you could try using crumbles of a quality blue cheese, such as an English Stilton or Rogue River Blue.

Serve this as an appetizer or side dish to a large meal, or as the main event to a light luncheon. I served it this week with a large, crisp summer garden salad, and some Bavarian style sausages off the grill for a casual summer meal. Enjoy!