Vegan Butternut Galette with Shallots, Apples & Black Pepper Crust
Vegan butternut galette is a perfect holiday main. It features apples, shallots and gluten-free crust made with chickpea flour and cornmeal.
Servings 6
Equipment
Ingredients
CHICKPEA AND CORNMEAL CRUST
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 1½ tablespoons hearty herbs such as thyme and rosemary, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup vegan butter, diced and VERY cold (I like to dice it and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes before I start)
- 3 tablespoons ice water, plus extra
VEGAN BUTTERNUT GALETTE FILLING
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and sliced thin (about 525 grams of sliced squash)
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced (remove skin if you prefer)
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk or creamer
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds or nigella seeds, or a mix
- ¼ cup crumbled vegan “feta” or “goat”-style cheese (optional)
Instructions
MAKE THE CHICKPEA AND CORNMEAL CRUST
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chickpea flour, cornmeal, herbs, salt, and pepper. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the vegan butter to the food processor and pulse until the butter is crumbly and little bits of it are about the size of peas.
- With the food processor’s motor running, drizzle in the ice water (but not the actual ice!) through the feed tube. Once you’ve poured the water, stop the motor and then start hitting the pulse button until the dough comes together into a ball. If that’s not happening, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of ice water in at a time until it does ball up. Be careful to not overmix as you still want visible bits of vegan butter.
- Dump the crust dough out onto the counter and form it into a disc. Wrap it tightly in Beeswrap or plastic wrap and let it set up in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
MAKE THE FILLING & ASSEMBLE THE GALETTE
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scatter the sliced squash out on a baking sheet and toss with ½ tablespoon of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once coated, spread it out in a single layer and bake until just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool.
- Once sufficiently cool, in a large bowl, gently toss the cooked squash with the thinly sliced shallots and apples, the sumac, salt and pepper, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Once the filling is evenly mixed, set aside.
- Retrieve the chickpea and cornmeal crust dough from the refrigerator. Lightly dust your counter and rolling pin with more chickpea flour and evenly roll it out in a circle shape that’s roughly 11 inches (28 cm) in diameter. The crust may split on the edges as you roll. This is fine! Just grab some overhang pieces, patch up the cracks, and roll over to seal them up.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place it right by your dough working area. Carefully and loosely roll the crust around your rolling pin to transfer it over to the baking sheet. Smooth out any rough edges if you like.
- Spoon the Dijon mustard directly onto the rolled out dough and spread it around evenly, leaving a 2-inch radius around the outside. Layer the butternut, apple & shallot filling on top, leaving a 2 inch radius around the outside as well. The filling should be an even thickness.
- Starting with one side, gently lift and press the crust up onto the filling to enclose it. It will look rustic! If you get some tears, just press the dough back together with your fingers.
- Brush off any excess flour from the folded up crust. Then, brush the edges of exposed crust dough with the non-dairy milk and sprinkle evenly with the sesame/nigella seeds.
- Bake the galette for 25-30 minutes, rotating your baking sheet at the 15 minute mark. Bake until the filing is very tender and the crust is deep golden brown on all sides.
- Sprinkle the crumbled vegan cheese on top of you wish. Cut the galette into slices and serve warm. Be gentle when cutting and transferring the slices. This crust is super flaky and tender!
Notes
- Chickpea and cornmeal crust combination is inspired by this recipe from Moon and Spoon and Yum
- I prefer half moon-style slices of squash for this because the presentation is nicer and it slices a bit cleaner than cubed squash.
- My favourite vegan cheeses for garnishing here are by Canadian brands: VegNature and Nuts For Cheese.
- Always worth mentioning when I use vegan butter: Miyoko’s brand is my favourite.
- I like to get the apples and shallots super thin, so I use a mandolin slicer to cut them. Gets the job done very quickly as a bonus!
- If you’re avoiding corn, you can certainly just use another 1/4 cup of chickpea flour. Expect a more pronounced bean-like flavour and a slightly firmer crust.
- The butter needs to be super cold! Whenever I make pastry or biscuits, I chop up my vegan butter into 1-inch pieces and then place it in a bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes or so.