Julia Busuttil Nishimura's roast pumpkin and goat's curd galette
I love making galettes at home; they're free-form, rustic and need no special equipment. Here I celebrate beautiful pumpkin, which is just so good right now. Roasted until golden and sweet, it sits on a layer of goat's cheese and leeks, and is married with sage and pine nuts for a comforting winter meal. I'm using goat's curd here, but any soft, fresh goat's cheese works perfectly. Serve with some salad leaves dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice.
Ingredients
1.2kg Japanese pumpkin, peeled and cut into 4cm pieces*
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
sea salt and black pepper
1 leek, white and pale-green part thinly sliced
12 sage leaves
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
150g goat's curd or soft goat's cheese
20g parmigiano reggiano, finely grated, plus extra to serve
generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp pine nuts
For the flaky pastry
300g plain flour
salt
150g cold, unsalted butter, cubed
2 tsp white vinegar
125ml iced water
1 egg, for egg wash
Method
1. To make the pastry, mix the flour and a good pinch of salt together in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have mostly pea-sized lumps (a few larger pieces are fine, too). Drizzle in the vinegar and enough of the iced water to just bring the dough together (you might not need all of it). It will still be shaggy, but should hold together when pressed and not be dry or floury. Flatten into a thick disc about 10-12cm diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Arrange the pumpkin on a tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle over half the oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until tender and golden, turning halfway.
3. Meanwhile, warm the remaining oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Cook the leek with a pinch of salt until soft (7-8 minutes), stirring occasionally. Roughly chop four sage leaves and add to the pan with one garlic clove. Cook for a minute or two longer, until the garlic is fragrant, then set aside to cool.
4. In a small bowl, combine the goat's curd with the parmesan, nutmeg, remaining garlic clove and season well with salt and pepper.
5. Increase oven to 190C fan-forced (210C conventional) and line a 30cm round baking tray with baking paper.
6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to form a large circle 3-4mm thick, massaging the edges as you roll to prevent it cracking too much. Drape the pastry over the prepared tray. Spread the goat's curd mixture onto the pastry, leaving at least a 5cm border. Scatter over the leek mixture and top with the roast pumpkin. Tuck the remaining sage leaves around the pumpkin and scatter over the pine nuts. Trim the edge of the pastry, if necessary, maintaining the 5cm border. Fold the overhanging pastry towards the centre of the tart, pinching the joins as you go to seal in the filling and form a galette.
7. Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl, then brush the egg wash over the pastry's edge.
8. Drizzle the filling with a little olive oil and bake the galette in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Allow to cool briefly, then serve with extra parmigiano reggiano finely grated over the top.
*Tip: I often make this the day after I've cooked a roast: it's a deliciously rewarding way to repurpose leftover pumpkin.
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