Tomato, Goat Cheese and Basil Galette

Last Sunday Brian and I were meeting a good friend for brunch and I knew we'd linger a long time, sipping mimosas and bloody Mary's and catching up.  And I knew we wouldn't be that hungry come dinner time.  A salad, perhaps and something else.  I had some nice looking tomatoes in the house and some very fresh basil.  No mozzarella but goat cheese and ricotta.  Hmm.  Something sort of pizza like but not exactly.

Before we left to go meet our friend, I quickly whipped up a savory olive oil dough, wrapped it in plastic and left it in the fridge to rest.  Fancy, crimped crust?  Nah.  I was going for simple... rustic.  I love making galettes exactly because they are so simple and rustic.  And all the rest of the ingredients practically put themselves together.  A wonderful aroma filled the house while it was baking and, as soon as it was cool enough, we made it disappear fast.  It was an impromptu recipe so, would I make it again?  Yup.  There's dough resting in my fridge right now.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Crust:
1 Cup all purpose flour (you can also use whole wheat or 1/2 cup of each)
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons water

Filling:
4 oz. Goat cheese, softened
1/4 Cup ricotta cheese
1 Clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Large tomatoes, sliced and seeded
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & pepper to taste

To make the dough, combine the flour and salt in a bowl.  Add the olive oil and stir to combine.  If the mixture seems too dry then add the water but it's not always necessary.  Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

In a separate bowl, add the goat cheese, ricotta cheese, milk and garlic.  Mix together until smooth.  Season to taste and stir in the basil.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to approximately a 10" round (it doesn't have to be exact) and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spread the cheese mixture over the crust.  Slice the tomatoes and, using your fingers, pull out some of the seeds so that the dough won't get too wet.  Layer the tomato slices on top of the cheese mixture and fold in the sides of the dough (see the photos) a couple of inches.  Sprinkle the galette with the Parmesan cheese and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.  Top with some fresh basil, if desired.  Makes 4 - 8 servings depending on whether you serve this as an appetizer or part of the meal.