I love galettes for dinner. They’re really easy, super versatile and if you have a side salad with it, that’s a complete dinner! You won’t be able to whip this up quickly for dinner, it requires a lot of inactive time, but it is 100% worth it. This vegan caramelized onion, leek and pear galette is a bit savory, with a hit of sweet from the pear and the onions.
Caramelizing Onions
To caramelize the onions, you will just need a lot of patience. In the recipe, I call for the onion to be cut a certain way, and there is a reason why. The less cells you rupture on an onion, will result in a sweeter onion. So it is best to cut an onion “pole to pole”. You will end with caramelized onions that are less harsh and very mellow and sweet. I love this write-up by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. It is about onions and what pairs wells with burgers, but it provides a wealth of knowledge about how and why you should cut your onions certain ways!
Also, in the recipe below, you will see I call for water as needed. It is important you keep the onions moist, so they don’t burn and crisp easily. I can’t give an exact amount of water you will need, but I probably used about a cup. Just keep adding a tablespoon at a time when the pan gets a bit dry. You could also use veggie broth if you want to add some extra flavor!
Cheese and Pears
For the cheese in this vegan caramelized onion, leek and pear galette, just use whatever you can find/like best. I used Violife’s Smoked Provolone cheese. I think a vegan gouda would be fantastic, and maybe even a vegan cheddar cheese! In my galette, I used sliced cheese, but I would stay away from shredded cheese. It usually has clumping agents, which I am not a fan of. Slices or a block you shred yourself is the way to go! I would also stay away from vegan mozzarella, you won’t get much flavor.
One small note about the crust. I called for cutting and stacking the dough to create layers. If you would like to see pictures of this, I have them included on my vegan biscuit recipe for your reference.
Finally, the pears. I used about 1.5 pears in my galette. Just use enough to make a nice even layer on the galette. The type of pear you use won’t make a huge difference. I tried a few different kinds and didn’t see anything drastically different between them. Finally, top your galette with melted butter! It will help the pears from burning and drying out. It will also help with browning on the crust.
Caramelized Onion, Leek and Pear Galette
- V
- VG
- DF
Nutrition per portion
Ingredients
- 2 cups (266g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ sticks (170g) Vegan Butter, Divided
- ½ tbsp (7g) Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup ice cold water, plus more as needed
- 1 Large Onion
- 1 Large Leek
- ¼ tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 - 2 Pears
- 4 oz of Vegan Cheese (Gouda, Smoked Provolone, and Cheddar are great choices)
- Flaky Sea Salt for Topping
Method
Make the Pie Dough- Cube 10 tbsp (141g) of the butter and place in the freezer to firm up for at least 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the flour and salt and whisk together.
- Add the cubed butter to the bowl and toss quickly to coat the butter in flour. Then take each piece of butter and smoosh between your index finger and thumb to flatten. Set aside each piece in the bowl, trying to work quickly so the butter doesn’t melt. If the butter becomes too warm it will get worked into the dough and you will not achieve the flakiness desired, this is especially true with vegan butter as it melts quicker.
- Add in the apple cider vinegar, and ¼ cup of ice water to start. Mix quickly with a butter knife. You will not see a ball of dough form, rather you are looking for the mixture to clump together and no dry-pockets of flour remain. Keep adding ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until this is achieved. Each brand of flour has its own absorption rate, so there is no exact amount of water this will take.
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a square using a bench scraper or your hands. Cut the square into quarters with a knife or bench scraper, and then stack each quarter on top of each other, sandwiching any loose dry bits between the layers. Then press the stacked dough down, and shape into a square again. Repeat this step 3-4 times until the dough holds together. This shaping and stacking not only helps the dough to become more cohesive but also helps create layers.
- Shape the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add in 1 tbsp of butter.
- Cut your large onion in half lengthwise (from the root to the stem) and remove the skin. Remove the root and stem. Then cut your onion into wide strips (about ¼ inch wide), lengthwise, the same direction you made your first cut.
- Add the onion to the heated pan, and let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the leek. Trim off the root end and cut off the dark green part. Then slice in half length wise. Then cut into ¼ inch strips (you might need to give the leeks a little wash, sometimes they can be sandy in-between!). Set aside for later.
- Add in a pinch of salt and black pepper, and the ¼ tsp of thyme to the onions. Stir to combine. You'll need to watch these onions so they don't burn. Stir them every so often and if you see them getting dry and crispy, add a tablespoon of water at a time to keep them moist. It will take about an hour total to get them fully caramelized. Once you are halfway through the cooking (30 minutes), add in the leeks. They will caramelize quicker than the onion. Once fully caramelized, place on a plate in a thin even layer to fully cool.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°.
- Trim the ends of the pears off, and cut in half length wise. Using a melon baller or teaspoon, remove the cores. Slice lengthwise into thin slices (about ⅛ inch thick). Be careful not to go too thin, as they will dry out in the oven! Set aside.
- Melt the remainder of the butter (1 tbsp) and set aside.
- Take your pie dough out of the fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the disc of dough until ⅛" thick and about 16-17 inches in diameter.
- Carefully transfer the dough to a parchment lined half sheet pan.
- Place the cheese in an even layer, leaving a 1 ½" border. Top with the caramelized onion and leek, spreading out as best you can in an even layer. Then top with the sliced pear.
- Bring edges of dough up and over filling, overlapping as needed to create about a 1½" border. Brush the dough and pears with the melted butter (you don't want the pears to dry out!).
- Place the sheet pan in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Put the galette in the oven for 50-60 minutes, rotating halfway through, removing when the crust is golden brown. Top with flaky sea salt.
- Let cool slightly, slice and enjoy!
