Orange Fig Walnut Galette

Cambozola is a Brie-style cows’ milk cheese with the barest hint of blue veining. If this mild and creamy cheese is too strong for your tastes, use a St. Andre or other triple cream cheese instead. You can vary the flavors in this galette to suit your tastes. Try ginger marmalade, bourbon and pecans with sliced lemons on top. Or, use orange marmalade, cassis, almonds and mixed berries on top. This galette dough is so versatile that I am daydreaming about about making this fruit, jam, nut and cheese confection my new favorite breakfast food. What combinations of ingredients are in your favorite fruit galette?

6 generous slices

Pastry dough:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup walnuts

3 Tablespoons Turbinado sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 Tablespoons unsalted “European Style” butter, cold, cut into 8 pieces

1 large egg

2 1/2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Galette filling:

1/3 cup fig jam with oranges (we used Dalmatia Orange Fig Spread**)

1 Tablespoon orange liqueur (we used Cointreau Noir)

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

2 ounces triple cream cheese (we used Cambozola Black Label)

1 seedless orange sliced into thin disks

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon heavy cream

2 Tablespoons Turbinado sugar

1. To make the galette dough, put the flours, walnuts, sugar and salt into the work bowl of a food processor. Process in ON/OFF pulses until the ingredients are blended and the walnuts are chopped into small pieces. Add the cold butter to the work bowl. Pulse ON/OFF until the butter is cut into pea-sized pieces. In a small bowl, add the egg, milk, vanilla and orange zest. Beat with a fork to blend. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the flour and butter mixture and pulse until just blended. Empty the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover the galette dough with the wrap and flatten the dough into a disk. Chill the dough for 1 hour or up to 2 days. Dough may be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator before using.

2. To make the galette, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the galette dough disk from the refrigerator and place upon a lightly floured work surface.  Roll the dough out into a large circle (10 to 12 inches). Put the dough circle on top of a parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet.

3. In a small bowl, add the fig jam and orange liqueur. Stir to blend. Spread the jam mixture on top of the dough in an even layer, leaving 1 1/2 inches of dough on the outer edge of the dough disk free from jam. Sprinkle the jam covered dough area with walnuts. Dot the jam covered area with bits of cheese. Cover the jam area with slices of orange and sprinkle the jam area with orange zest.

4. Gather up the dough edges of the galette and fold then over the outer edges of the jam, forming a circle. In a small bowl, add the egg and the cream. Beat the egg wash until blended. Paint the edges of the galette with the egg wash. Sprinkle the sugar over the entire surface of the galette. Bake the galette for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove the galette from the oven. Cool on the baking sheet until room temperature. Serve.

Recipe ©Sally James Mathis

Photography ©Taylor Mathis