This cherry tomato galette starts with a flaky crust and is layered with whipped goat cheese, ripe summer tomatoes, crisp and savory dukkah and then finished with a generous drizzle of honey. Serve this as a late summer appetizer, as a vegetarian main, or top it with a sunny side up egg and call it brunch.
Jump to:
Cherry Tomato Galette Is Pure Summer
I went to my parents’ house last weekend and came back, my pockets brimming with cherry tomatoes. Summer produce is finally ready in the Upper Midwest and I am HERE. FOR. IT. Homegrown green beans, summer squash, cabbage, cucumbers, bell peppers and loads of tomatoes. It all has me so excited!
Seriously, if you need inspiration, I’m your gal. Garden veggie pasta, spicy stir-fries, grilled salsa in the molcajete… and my personal favorite of the week: this cherry tomato galette with whipped goat cheese and dukkah.
This recipe might feel like a lot of components, but it actually comes together easily and if you’re really short on time, you can always use store-bought pie crust or a premade dukkah. I’ll never tell.
Why You’ll Love This Savory Tomato Galette Recipe
It’s always useful to have a good appetizer recipe up your sleeve. It’s even better when it’s something that somehow falls under the categories of ‘familiar’ yet ‘surprising.’ That’s exactly what I stumbled upon in my search for the perfect summer galette. Goat cheese and honey. Honey and nuts. Tomatoes and goat cheese. Pairings that people know and love. Tomatoes and honey? Dukkah and tomatoes? Delightfully surprising combinations that work.
The beauty of galettes lies in their imperfection. No need for fancy decorations or even a pie dish. Galettes are all about celebrating quality ingredients: substance over style. The more rustic, the better.
Because it’s a blend of European and Middle Eastern flavors, it’s also a versatile recipe. Serve it with a charcuterie board and sliced baguette or alongside babaganouj and stuffed grape leaves – it’ll blend right in either way.
Finally, one of my favorite parts of this recipe is the overabundance of walnut dukkah, which is intentional. The way I see it, if I’m going through the process of making homemade dukkah, I’m making extra. I highly encourage you to use it to season salmon or tilapia for the easiest of dinners. Making dukkah is, of course, optional. You can buy it pre-made in specialty shops or online. I just like being able to control the freshness and combo of nuts.
What Is Dukkah?
Dukkah, pronounced ‘DOO-kah’, is a Middle Eastern condiment that contains toasted chopped nuts and spices. It almost always includes sesame seeds, but the type of nuts and ratios seem to be based on family recipes and personal preference. Similarly, you’ll almost always find cumin and coriander in this recipe, but can also find recipes with allspice, fennel, and chili.
Traditionally, this gets hand-ground using a mortar and pestle. It’s actually what I did here because I made it while the baby was down for a nap and I didn’t want to deal with the noise from the food processor. It took less than five minutes to coarsely grind everything together, but if you’d like to use a food processor and get a finer grind, that’s more than okay.
Dukkah on its own would be a fantastic addition to a charcuterie board. Simply encourage folks to tear off hunks of pita or bread, dip in olive oil and then drag through this flavorful condiment. I could also see rolling balls of goat cheese or labneh in this. Or using it to coat pan-fried chicken. I thought I’d give you a few ideas because the base recipe for Dukkah that you’ll find below, makes way more than you’ll need for the tomato pie, and you definitely don’t want to waste a single crumb of this!
How to Serve This Dish (And Other Savory Pies)
- This cherry tomato galette is delicious as a light main. I made this for my husband and I on a night when my oldest wasn’t home and I served it with a simple salad tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, a few slices of prosciutto and a hunk of baguette. It would have been amazing with a glass of wine, but really, we were just happy to be outside on the patio with a light breeze and a baby who was happily staring up at the clouds.
- It is equally delicious as a savory breakfast. And that’s exactly what I did with the leftovers the next morning. Try it topped with a runny egg or a side of scrambled eggs.
- And finally, I can’t wait to whip this up as an appetizer the next time I have dinner guests over for a Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Ingredients
- Butter: For the pie crust. It’s best to use unsalted butter, but I have made this with salted butter and still had terrific results.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works just fine in this recipe.
- Goat cheese: Is sharp and tangy, and I got the idea to drizzle this galette with honey because the two are a classic pairing in France.
- Ricotta cheese: I add a couple of tablespoons of ricotta to the goat cheese because it makes the goat cheese much easier to whip and spread.
- Cherry tomatoes: A mix of colors and varieties is a welcome addition to this galette, but also not necessary.
- Shallot: Shallots are milder and sweeter than yellow or white onions. In a pinch, though, you could use a quarter of a yellow, white or red onion finely diced.
- Garlic
- Walnuts, almonds and pistachios: These nuts add crunch and a rich, buttery, savoriness to this recipe.
- Sesame seeds: Their sweetness really rounds out the other nuts and is a traditional component in dukkah.
- Spices: Spices like fennel, coriander and cumin scream Mediterranean/MIddle East in terms of flavor profile.
- Honey: Drizzled onto this galette in 2 parts, once over the tomatoes before you cover in dukkah, and once as it comes out of the oven.
- Salt and pepper
- Egg yolk to mix with a teaspoon of water to make an egg wash you can brush over the top of the galette dough before baking.
Substitutes
- Pie crust: Use store-bought pie crust or puff pastry to save time.
- Shallots: Use a quarter of a red onion, diced small.
- Nuts: People tend to love walnuts or hate them. You don’t have to use them and you can either replace them with hazelnuts or increase the amount of almonds or pistachios. Similarly, if you don’t like almonds or pistachios, you could just omit them and increase the quantity of another nut in the mix.
- Ricotta cheese: You can substitute with cream cheese or even sour cream.
How to Make This Cherry Tomato Galette with Goat Cheese and Dukkah
- Make the pie dough. Add dry ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Then add cubes of cold butter into the flour mixture, and using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub the butter into the flour until the mixture is course and the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Some people prefer to do this step using a food processor, but I started making it by hand so as not to wake napping toddlers, and have found it to be just as quick using your hands and that I like the final crust a little better than when I use the food processor. As an added bonus: I don’t have to lug the processor out of the cupboard or clean 4 different pieces. Then, add cold water into the mixing bowl 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture just starts to come together. You’ll know you’re there, when the dough still looks crumbly, but holds together when you press one piece into another.
- Then, turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it no longer looks crumble and you can shape it into a disc, being careful not to overwork it. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or even overnight.
- Make the dukkah. Toast the spices. Then toast the nuts. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices and everything EXCEPT the sesame seeds into a coarse mixture, working in batches if your mortar isn’t big enough to fit everything. Alternatively, you can use a food processor and pulse the spices and nuts together. At the end, stir the sesame seeds into the dukkah.
- Prepare the filling. Place your cherry tomato halves in the bowl of a colander or a strainer. Set the strainer over the sink or a large bowl to catch any liquid. Add a generous pinch of salt to tomatoes and give them a quick stir to combine.
- Add all of the tomato ingredients: shallot, garlic, thyme, salt, and black pepper to the strainer with the tomatoes. Let sit, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes while you prepare the goat cheese and the crust, so that the tomatoes can release some of their liquid. This may seem like a step you might be tempted to skip, but it prevents a soggy crust!
- Using a handheld mixer, whip the ingredients for the ricotta goat cheese spread together until everything is combined and spreadable.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper until you have a rough circle that’s approximately 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the parchment paper and the dough to a sheet pan.
- Assemble the galette. Spread the ricotta goat cheese mixture onto the galette dough, leaving a 1 or 2-inch border. Then distribute the tomatoes over the cheese. Drizzle with honey. Then sprinkle with dukkah, using 3-4 tablespoons, or until there is an even coating over the top of the tomatoes. Fold excess dough up so it sits over the top of the tomatoes and dukka. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 teaspoon of water. Brush over the top of the galette dough. This helps the dough brown.
- Bake at 400° F for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Enjoy!
Looking for other great appetizer recipes? This air fryer baked brie is another great European-inspired one to try, or you could make these caprese empanadas,made with sun-dried tomatoes, it’s perfect year round!
📖 Recipe
Cherry Tomato Galette with Goat Cheese and Dukkah
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour scooped and leveled
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup cold butter cut in small cubes
- 3-6 tablespoons cold water added 1-2 tablespoons at a time; it takes me 3-4 tablespoons when I make this at home.
Walnut Dukkah
- ½ cup walnuts
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons shelled pistachios If salted, wait until combining all ingredients to taste for salt level
- ¼ cup white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds optional
- ¼ teaspoons ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
Whipped Ricotta Goat Cheese Spread
- 4 ounces goat cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ricotta
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Cherry Tomatoes
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 shallot diced small
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Crank of fresh black pepper to taste
Topping
- 3-4 tablespoons dukkah or to taste
- 2 tablespoons honey or a generous drizzle
Instructions
Make the Pie Dough
- Add dry ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Then add cubes of cold butter into the flour mixture, and using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub the butter into the flour until the mixture is course and the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Some people prefer to do this step using a food processor, but I started making it by hand so as not to wake napping toddlers, and have found it to be just as quick using your hands and that I like the final crust a little better than when I use the food processor.
- Then, add cold water into the mixing bowl 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture just starts to come together. You’ll know you’re there, when the dough still looks crumbly, but holds together when you press one piece into another.
- Then, turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it no longer looks crumble and you can shape it into a disc, being careful not to overwork it.
- Wrap it in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or even overnight.
Make the Dukkah
- Toast the spices, then add to a small bowl. Then toast the nuts. Remove and add to the bowl. Toss gently to combine.
- Use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices and everything EXCEPT the sesame seeds into a coarse mixture, working in batches if your mortar isn’t big enough to fit everything. Alternatively, you can use a food processor and pulse the spices and nuts together.
- At the end, stir the sesame seeds into the dukkah. And season with salt to taste.
Prepare the Fillings
- Place your cherry tomato halves in the bowl of a colander or a strainer.
- Add all of the tomato ingredients: shallot, garlic, thyme, salt, and black pepper to the strainer with the tomatoes. Set the strainer over the sink or a large bowl to catch any liquid, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes while you prepare the goat cheese and the crust, so that the tomatoes can release some of their liquid. This may seem like a step you might be tempted to skip, but it prevents a soggy crust!
- In a separate bowl, whip the ingredients for the ricotta goat cheese spread together using a handheld mixer until everything is combined and spreadable.
Assemble Galette
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper until you have a rough circle that’s approximately 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the parchment paper and the rolled dough to a sheet pan.
- Spread the ricotta goat cheese mixture onto the galette dough, leaving a 1 or 2-inch border. Then distribute the tomatoes over the cheese. Drizzle with honey. Then sprinkle with dukkah, using 3-4 tablespoons, or until there is an even coating over the top of the tomatoes.
- Fold excess dough up so it sits over the top of the tomatoes and dukkah. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 teaspoon of water. Brush over the top of the galette dough. This helps the dough brown.
- Bake at 400° F for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
