Name: Carrot Feta Galette
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients: For the Galette; 1 store-bought or homemade pie crust (like below); 1½ pounds multi-colored carrots, peeled but kept whole; 2 tablespoons olive oil; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 large egg for the egg wash; For the Feta Filling:; 1¼ packed cups (10 ounces) crumbled feta cheese; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 garlic clove, minced; ¼ cup olive oil; ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley, lightly packed; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill; A few grinds of fresh black pepper; For the Garnish:; 1 tablespoon cream; Fresh dill sprigs

Mains

Carrot Feta Galette

Author: Mary DiSomma

Featured in my "What's Cookin'" column for Peoria Magazine, April 2023.

This is one of my favorite recipe cards to break out in springtime because carrots are already in season in Illinois and there’s nothing better than fresh, local vegetables in springtime. I combine these super-nourishing and nutritious root veggies with tangy feta cheese, rich olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs for an experience that will have everyone coming back for seconds.

This tart holds sweet memories for me, as each recipe in our lives does. Every time I make my Carrot and Feta Galette, I think of my daughter Madeline who loved carrots as a youngster. In My Life in Pies: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Family and Friends, I share many memorable recipes that I hold near and dear to my heart. I hope that you make your own sweet memories as you sample this and the other wonderful recipes in the book.

You can use your favorite pie dough recipe for the crust, but I highly recommend my Mary’s Favorite Pie Crust recipe. The best thing about this recipe is that it’s meant to be rustic, so don’t worry about making it perfect. Serve it up alongside my fresh, classic French Niçoise Salad with Tonnino Tuna recipe for a complete meal that won’t weigh you down.

Classic Pie Crust

Whatever you like to bake, it’s always handy to have an easy and delicious pie crust recipe in your back pocket. This one is easy to make, versatile for sweet and savory dishes, and easy to store.

Yield: 2 Pie Crusts
Prep Time: 1 hour 1 hr
Cook Time: 0 minutes0 min
Total Time: 1 hour 1 hr

Ingredients

For the Crust

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for sweet pies only)
12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about ½ cup) ice water

For the Blind Bake

9 inch pie pan
Parchment paper
Ceramic pie weights, raw dried beans (pinto or kidney), or raw rice

Instructions

For the Crust

Place the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. If you’re making a sweet pie, add the sugar now. Pulse a few times to combine. With the food processor on, add the butter through the feed tube, a few pieces at a time. Once the butter is incorporated, add the shortening, a little at a time. Pulse 8 to 10 times until the mixture forms pea-sized pieces.
With the food processor running, slowly add ice water through the feed tube, pulsing, until the dough begins to form a ball. Be careful not to get any actual ice into the mixture.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Form two balls, then slightly flatten each ball with the palm of your hand. This will make rolling out the dough easier once it is chilled. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This dough can be refrigerated overnight.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out as needed for the pie you are preparing.

For Blind Baking

To blind bake a crust, chill your pastry-lined pie pan in the refrigerator to freezer for 30 minutes. Raw pastry that is cold will be less likely to shrink when it hits the heat of the oven.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the pan from the freezer or refrigerator. Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. Evenly place ceramic pie weights, raw dried beans like pinto or kidney or raw rice in on the parchment paper. If you don’t have any of these items, you can even use sugar! Just make sure if you use dried beans or rice, you don’t use them for any other purpose. Just let them cool at room temperature and place them in a zip-lock bag to be used in a future blind bake. You can use them over and over!
For a fully blind baked pie shell, bake until the edges of the crust start to brown, about 15-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie pan. Using a fork, make 6 light pricks in the bottom of the crust, being careful not to go all the way thru. Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 8 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is light brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before filling.