This is my dilemma with squash and pumpkins: when they start appearing at the beginning of fall, I get super excited and go crazy buying them at the supermarket. Then it’s kind of a hassle to cut them and scoop the seeds and the lazy part of me would rather cook a vegetable where I don’t need to wrestle with my biggest knife while beads of sweat pop out on my brow…
Yes, I realize I’m being rather dramatic, but in the life of a cook, as with everything else, you need to pick your battles and I would usually rather battle something else. So the pumpkins sit on my countertop, staring at me reproachfully, until I am freaked by the food waste I’m potentially causing and then force myself to cook them before they go bad. And EVERY. SINGLE. TIME I’m so happy I did! This Pumpkin & Camembert Galette had so much rich and indulgent flavor, the smooth pumpkin taste melding with the creamy camembert and the flaky crust and as much or as little garlic as you want.
Would 100% recommend making this with a green salad for lunch or even, cut into bite size pieces, as a Thanksgiving appetizer! xoxo Donata
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups (160g) all purpose flour plus more for flouring your work surface
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons, 113g) cold unsalted butter
5 to 6 tablespoons cold water
Filling
1 Hokkaido pupmkin (ca. 1,7 lb or 800 g)
1/2 cup (50 g) red onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
9 oz (250 g) good, ripe camembert, cut into bits of about 1 inch (2,5 cm)
Egg wash
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C).
To make the crust: Whisk together the dry ingredients. Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Drizzle in 5 tablespoons of water, stirring gently until everything is evenly moistened; add the final tablespoon of water if necessary to make a cohesive dough.
Pat the dough into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Next, get to cutting the Hokkaido pumpkin, which is one of the best kinds because you don’t need to peel it! Halve it, cut off the stem and the tail end and then cut it into strips about 1/2 inch (1,2 cm) thick pieces. Arrange on a baking sheet with the onions and garlic. Glug olive oil generously over everything and season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until soft. Let cool. Depending on how much garlic you would like to have in your final galette (I would probably go for two or three cloves. I used all five in mine and my husband complained about my garlic breath for two days!), chop the roasted cloves up. Discard the other cloves or reserve for another purpose.
To assemble the galette: On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12" (30 cm) circle. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the cooled off pumpkin slices, onions and chopped up garlic evenly onto the galette dough, leaving a 2" (5 cm) wide bare strip along the perimeter. Scatter the camembert pieces over the filling.
Fold the bare edges of the dough into the center.
Brush the exposed edges of the crust with egg wash. Bake the galette for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Remove the galette from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
