Chef John’s Rustic French Recipe Is the Best Use for Your Summer Tomatoes

When you have more tomatoes than you know what to do with, the tempting thing to do is make a sauce or a tomato sandwich—something where tomatoes are in the spotlight.

If you’re looking for a tomato-forward dish, I encourage you to make a tomato galette. Who better to look to than Chef John for the perfect recipe? The cooking process is something everyone can be a part of. Galettes are a joy to make in general, and there is something about the fresh qualities of ripe tomatoes that goes so well with this dish. 

If you’re in the mood for something that pops, both in color and flavor, a tomato galette is the right choice for you.

What Is a Galette?

"While tomato galette sounds a little fancy, this rustic pie is actually easy to make plus this galette recipe is incredibly adaptable to whatever is in season," says Chef John. "Whether that's sweet fruit or savory vegetables, there are very few things you can't galette!"

The reason this recipe may sound fancy is because it's French. Despite what you may think, French food can be very simple, and this recipe is one of those simple creations.

The best way to serve a galette during summer is with tomatoes. They are abundant and in season, so that flavor mixed with other fresh ingredients, seasonings, and herbs makes a delicious dinner. I topped my galette with fresh mozzarella, pesto, and more basil for good measure.

A sweet galette is an amazing summer treat too, so if you’ve never been one for something like a savory pie, our summer fruit galette with peaches, strawberries, and blueberries might be right up your alley.

How to Make a Tomato Galette

Chef John’s galette is a classic version that is bound to turn out well. While he uses cherry tomatoes to make his recipe, you can really use any tomatoes on hand. When I made a galette, I bought heirloom tomatoes from the farmers’ market the same day, which were so ripe and full of flavor. Cut the heirloom tomatoes into ¼-inch slices and layer onto the dough as you would cherry tomatoes.

I will not lie: The hardest part about making a galette is the crust. But if you aren't as adventurous with dough, there's a simple solution. Buy your pie crust. The result will be just as good, especially if you take our advice and purchase one we recommend. 

If you’re making the pie crust, this preparation will be no different than any pie crust you’ve made before. Cold ingredients, working quickly, and taking breaks to let the dough chill will be your best friends. Chef John uses all-purpose flour, cornmeal, apple cider vinegar, butter, salt and some cold water. Combine these ingredients until the mixture begins to clump together, then form a disk to keep in the fridge until your filling is ready.

Outside of the dough, the other two parts of this recipe are a cheese mixture and a tomato mixture. The cheese mixture (which includes goat cheese, egg yolk, kosher salt, pepper, cayenne, and basil) brings this recipe to life. 

The tomatoes are mixed with olive oil and Dijon mustard, rounding out the recipe in a sharp, balanced way. If you are using larger tomatoes, simply mix the olive oil and Dijon together and drizzle over the tomatoes once they are laid in the pan.

This recipe will get you and your guests up quickly for seconds, which there will be plenty of considering this dish is the size of a pie. Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for about four days.

If you are looking for more tomato recipes by the wonderful Chef John, here are some of his best creations.