It’s rare that I peruse the greenmarket and find a new fruit or veggie that has somehow escaped my radar. On the occasion that I do make a new discovery, I cannot wait to get said fruit or veggie home to my kitchen where I can experiment. Tomato season has handed me husk cherries and they have sufficiently blown my mind.
Until recently, I had no idea what a husk cherry, aka ground cherry, was. In my last post, I wrote about the unparalleled sweetness of fresh summer corn. Well, it’s time for corn to move over, because there’s a new sweet in town and it also comes all wrapped up in a husk, but inside there lies a teeny-tiny tomato.
These cherry tomatoes are kind of an anomaly. They are sweet and tart at the same time, making it hard to pinpoint what it is exactly that you are eating. On first bite, I was sure it was a berry. Then I had another, and was convinced of its tomato status. As if their unique taste wasn’t perplexing enough, their appearance seems equally designed to confuse. The actual fruit is hidden inside a papery husk, which makes it resemble a gooseberry or a very small tomatillo, both of which are relatives.
I was unsure whether to make a dessert or to go the savory route. I guess because I was on the fence, I decided to go with a galette, somewhere in the middle of tart and pie. I took advantage of the natural sugars that ooze from the caramelized onions and roasted husk cherry tomatoes, adding discs of fingerling potatoes, so new and soft that they act as sponges, absorbing a lot of those sweet flavors and helping to provide balance. The addition of fresh oregano and basil help to remind that, in spite of its naturally sweet inclinations, this is a savory dish.
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A Provençal Galette
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Provençal Galette combines the unique sweetness of husk cherries with caramelized onions and fingerling potatoes, creating a savory dish with a hint of natural sweetness.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 tbsp (90 ml) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3-4 tbsp (45-60 ml) ice cold water
- 4-5 large fingerling potatoes, boiled, skin on, and sliced into rounds
- 1 cup (240 ml) husk cherries, husked
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh oregano leaves
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Pastry
- In the bowl of a food processor – pulse the flour, salt and cubed butter until sandy. Add the ice cold water gradually and pulse until combined. Turn the pastry onto a well floured board, knead a few times and wrap in plastic, placing in the fridge to rest.
- By hand – combine the flour and salt, whisk to combine. Use your hands to rub the cubes of butter into the flour, until a coarse, sandy texture is achieved. Add the ice cold water gradually, using just enough to allow the mixture to come together. Knead a few times and shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge to rest.
Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC
- Slice the large cherry tomatoes in half and leave the small ones whole. Place them in a single layer on a baking tray and season with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a few sprigs of oregano. Place the baking tray in the oven, roast for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes have burst and caramelized.
- While you wait for the tomatoes to roast, separately prepare the caramelized onion and boil the potatoes. Be sure not to overcook the potatoes, they should not be soft and mushy, but firm enough to slice into rounds that are roughly 1/2 inch thick.
- Remove the tomatoes from the oven and pour off the excess juices.
Making the Galette
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF/205ºC
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and place it on a large piece of parchment paper.
- Roll the pastry into a 14′ round, about 1/8 inch thick.
- Spread the caramelized onions around the center of the pastry, leaving about 1 inch around the perimeter.
- Layer the roasted tomatoes on top of the onions.
- Finally, top the tomatoes with the fingerling discs, nesting the potatoes side by side in the onion/tomato layers. It’s ok if the tomatoes and/or onions poke up through the cracks between the potatoes.
- Fold the outer edge of dough over the top of the potatoes, working all the way around the galette.
- Beat the egg in a bowl and, using a pastry brush, lightly coat the pastry with egg wash.
- Place the galette in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Remove the galette from the oven and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and freshly ripped basil leaves.
- Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
- Husk cherries add a unique sweet-tart flavor that pairs well with the savory ingredients.
- The galette can be served warm or at room temperature, making it a versatile dish for any meal.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Reheat in the oven to maintain the crust’s crispness.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 150
- Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 30
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Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a husk cherry and where do I find one?
Also called a ground cherry, the husk cherry is a small tomato encased in a papery husk — it resembles a gooseberry or a tiny tomatillo, both of which are relatives. The article describes its flavor as sweet and tart at the same time, closer to a berry on first bite. Look for them at farmers’ markets during tomato season.
Why does this recipe call for two different oven temperatures?
The filling components are roasted first at 350°F/175°C for 20 minutes to caramelize and burst the husk cherries, then the assembled galette bakes at 400°F/205°C for 25 minutes to achieve a golden-brown crust. Doing both at one temperature would either undercook the filling or burn the pastry.
Why must the fingerling potatoes be firm, not soft?
The recipe specifies boiling the potatoes just until they can be sliced into rounds roughly ½ inch thick without falling apart. The article explains they act as sponges to absorb sweet caramelized flavors from the onion and tomatoes, so they need to hold their structure through the second bake.
