Mediterranean-Inspired Tomato Galette: Flaky Olive Oil Crust with Savory Confit Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella & Basil
Embark on a culinary journey with this irresistible Tomato Galette, a perfect blend of rustic charm and gourmet flavors. This delightful savory tart features an exceptionally flaky and tender pastry, made effortlessly with olive oil, creating the ideal foundation for its vibrant filling. The heart of this galette is a luscious, jammy confit tomato filling, slow-cooked to concentrate its sweetness and rich flavor. Each slice is generously crowned with creamy fresh mozzarella and aromatic basil, echoing the beloved flavors of a classic Italian Caprese salad. It’s an ideal baked appetizer or a light, satisfying lunch, designed to come together with remarkably little active preparation time, allowing you to savor the process and the delicious outcome.
Beyond its incredible taste, this tomato galette is a feast for the eyes, boasting the festive red, green, and white colors that make it a superb choice for holiday gatherings or any special occasion where a touch of elegance and fresh flavor is desired. Its free-form, rustic appearance makes it approachable to bake, yet its sophisticated taste will impress every guest.
🍅 Why This Tomato Galette Will Be Your New Favorite Recipe
This savory tomato galette isn’t just a dish; it’s an experience waiting to happen. Here’s why you’ll undoubtedly fall in love with it:
- Exquisite Confit Tomatoes: The star of this galette is undoubtedly the filling, crafted from slow-roasted confit tomatoes. This method transforms ordinary cherry tomatoes into sweet, intensely flavorful, and wonderfully jammy bursts of sunshine. The slow cooking in olive oil caramelizes their natural sugars, creating a depth of flavor that a simple roasted tomato cannot achieve. They are the perfect consistency, ensuring your pastry remains crisp and never soggy.
- Effortlessly Easy Preparation: Don’t let the gourmet sound of “confit” or “galette” intimidate you! Both the confit tomato filling and the olive oil pastry crust are surprisingly straightforward, requiring only a few basic steps and common kitchen utensils. This recipe prioritizes ease without compromising on quality or flavor, making it accessible for home bakers of all skill levels. You’ll be amazed at the professional-quality result you can achieve with minimal fuss.
- Caprese-Inspired Perfection: Drawing inspiration from the timeless Italian Caprese salad, this galette combines the classic trio of ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil, and creamy fresh mozzarella. The warm, savory tomatoes complement the cool, milky cheese and herbaceous basil, creating a harmonious flavor profile that is both familiar and exciting. It’s a comforting yet sophisticated combination that consistently proves to be a crowd-pleaser.
- Tender, Flaky Olive Oil Pastry: Forget complicated butter-based crusts! This recipe features an olive oil pastry that is both incredibly soft and satisfyingly crisp. It bakes up golden brown with a beautiful, tender crumb, providing the perfect light, savory vessel for the rich confit tomatoes. This crust is not only simple to prepare but also inherently dairy-free, offering a versatile base that can be enjoyed by many. Its rustic charm adds to the homemade appeal of the galette.
❔ Understanding Confit: The Secret to Jammy Tomatoes
The term “confit” might sound fancy, but it refers to a time-honored cooking process that is surprisingly simple and yields incredibly flavorful results. Historically, confit (from the French word “confire,” meaning “to preserve”) involved slowly cooking an ingredient, often meat like duck, in its own fat. However, the technique extends beautifully to vegetables, where they are submerged and gently cooked in oil at a low temperature.
This “low and slow” cooking method is a gentle transformation. Instead of searing or roasting at high heat, confit allows the ingredients to tenderize deeply, while their flavors become intensely concentrated. In the case of tomatoes, this process extracts their natural sweetness and transforms them into a wonderfully jammy, melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The olive oil infuses the tomatoes with its rich, fruity notes, and in turn, becomes beautifully seasoned by the tomatoes and garlic.
One of the fantastic benefits of confit is its partial preservative quality. As long as the cooked tomatoes remain fully submerged in the flavorful olive oil, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a month or even longer. This makes confit tomatoes an excellent make-ahead ingredient, always ready to elevate your meals.
Confit tomatoes are particularly ideal for our savory galette filling. Their jammy texture means they don’t release excessive moisture into the pastry, preventing a soggy crust – a common pitfall with fresh tomatoes in tarts. They are sweet, incredibly soft, and packed with an umami depth that elevates the entire dish, creating a truly unforgettable experience. For those with a sweet tooth looking for other galette delights, be sure to explore our chocolate cherry galette and this delightful strawberry galette.
📝 Essential Ingredients for a Perfect Tomato Galette
Crafting this exquisite tomato galette involves three distinct but harmoniously blended components: the deeply flavorful confit tomato filling, the wonderfully tender olive oil pastry crust, and the fresh, vibrant toppings that complete the Caprese experience. Success in each part relies on quality ingredients and a few crucial details.
For comprehensive measurements and step-by-step instructions, please refer to the detailed recipe card below.
For the Irresistible Confit Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes: Small, bite-sized tomatoes, such as cherry, grape, or even small kumato tomatoes, are ideal for confit. Their size allows them to cook evenly and tenderize beautifully without disintegrating. Larger tomatoes, when cut, tend to release too much juice and can become overly watery, which is not what we want for a perfectly jammy galette filling. Keeping them whole helps them maintain their shape and integrity during the slow cooking process.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is more than just a cooking medium; it’s a key flavor component. Using a good quality, flavorful extra virgin olive oil is crucial for achieving the rich, nuanced taste of true confit. The olive oil becomes deeply infused with the flavors of the tomatoes and garlic, transforming into a delicious, seasoned oil that you can strain and save for dressings, dipping bread, or other culinary uses after the confit is made. Don’t skimp on quality here!
- Garlic: Whole, peeled garlic cloves are submerged with the tomatoes. As they slowly confit, the garlic mellows and sweetens, becoming incredibly tender and spreadable. This confit garlic will be mashed and spread onto the galette pastry before adding the tomatoes, adding an extra layer of savory depth that complements the sweet tomatoes beautifully.
- Balsamic Glaze: While you can use a good quality balsamic vinegar, balsamic glaze offers a concentrated sweetness and a thicker, more syrupy texture. It adds a wonderful tangy-sweet “punch” to the confit, balancing the richness of the oil and the natural sweetness of the tomatoes with less acidity than plain vinegar. Its viscous nature helps contribute to the jammy consistency of the filling.
For the Tender Olive Oil Pastry Crust
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our pastry. For the most accurate and consistent results, especially in baking, weighing your flour with a kitchen scale is highly recommended. If a scale isn’t available, use the “spoon and level” method: gently stir the flour in its bag, then spoon it lightly into your measuring cup without packing, and level off the excess with the flat edge of a knife. This prevents over-measuring, which can lead to a tough crust.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Similar to the confit, the quality of your olive oil impacts the flavor of the pastry. A good quality extra virgin olive oil will impart a subtle, fragrant taste that enhances the savory profile of the galette. If you prefer a milder flavor or are not accustomed to the taste of olive oil in baking, a light olive oil or another neutral-flavored oil can be substituted, though you’ll miss some of the characteristic Mediterranean notes.
- Egg and Egg Yolk: One whole large egg and an additional egg yolk are crucial for this pastry. The egg helps bind the dough ingredients together, providing structure, while the extra yolk contributes richness and tenderness to the crust, resulting in a soft, pliable dough that is easy to work with and bakes to a beautiful golden finish.
✔️ Smart Ingredient Substitutions for Your Galette
This recipe is quite versatile, allowing for a few thoughtful substitutions to accommodate dietary needs or personal preferences without compromising on flavor or texture:
- Gluten-Free Option: To make this delicious galette gluten-free, simply substitute the all-purpose flour with your favorite reputable brand of 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend. Most blends are formulated to perform similarly to wheat flour in recipes like this, ensuring you still achieve a tender and delightful crust.
- Dairy-Free Option: If you need a dairy-free alternative, you can easily substitute the burrata or fresh mozzarella with your preferred high-quality dairy-free cheese substitute. Many excellent vegan mozzarella or cashew-based cheeses are available on the market that melt beautifully and provide a similar creamy texture. For a homemade touch, consider making a cashew cheese for a rich and flavorful dairy-free topping.
- Alternative Pie Crust: For those who prefer a more traditional, buttery pie crust, you can certainly use your favorite recipe. Our blueberry pop tarts recipe features a fantastic butter pastry that bakes up incredibly buttery, flaky, and tender, which would also work wonderfully as the base for this savory galette. Just remember that a butter-based crust typically requires chilling time.
- Oil Preference: While extra virgin olive oil is highly recommended for its distinct flavor and health benefits, you have the flexibility to substitute it with your preferred cooking oil. A light olive oil or a neutral-flavored oil like grapeseed or avocado oil will also yield a good crust, though the characteristic Mediterranean aroma will be slightly different. Ultimately, choose an oil that aligns with your taste preferences and budget.
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Your Tomato Galette
Creating this stunning tomato galette is a rewarding process, broken down into simple, manageable stages. Follow these steps for a perfect, savory masterpiece.
Stage 1: Prepare the Flavorful Tomato Confit
Step 1: Begin by preheating your oven to a gentle 260°F (130°C). Choose a baking pan that comfortably fits your cherry tomatoes without leaving too much empty space, which helps the olive oil fully submerge them. Arrange your tomatoes and peeled whole garlic cloves in the pan. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, then sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Nestle the basil sprigs among the tomatoes so they are held in place and can infuse the oil as they cook. Finally, pour enough extra virgin olive oil over everything to ensure the tomatoes are completely covered. This generous blanket of oil is key to the confit process, preventing the tomatoes from roasting and instead gently poaching them.
Step 2: Bake the tomatoes uncovered at 260°F (130°C) for 60-90 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when they smell incredibly fragrant, are visibly blistered, soft to the touch, and many of their skins have gently burst open, releasing their concentrated juices into the oil. While the confit is cooling to a handleable temperature, you can move on to preparing the olive oil pastry crust, making efficient use of your time.
Stage 2: Craft the Flaky Olive Oil Crust
Step 1: In a spacious mixing bowl, combine the large egg, egg yolk, ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Whisk these wet ingredients vigorously until they are thoroughly combined and slightly emulsified. This ensures an even distribution of flavor and moisture throughout the dough, contributing to its tender texture.
Step 2: Sift the all-purpose flour and baking powder directly into the bowl with your wet ingredients. Begin to stir the mixture with a spoon or spatula. The dough will initially look crumbly. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, continuing to stir until the dough starts to come together and forms a cohesive ball. The goal is a soft, pliable dough that just holds its shape. Be careful not to overwork the dough, as this can develop the gluten too much, leading to a tough crust. Once it forms a ball, gently shape it into a disk.
Pro Tip: For the most tender and flaky pastry, handle the dough as little as possible. This olive oil dough is quite forgiving and doesn’t require chilling before rolling, but if you want to prep ahead, you can wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate it for a day or two until you’re ready to bake.
Stage 3: Assemble Your Rustic Tomato Galette
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your dough disk on the parchment paper and roll it out until it’s approximately ¼ inch thick, or slightly thinner for a crisper crust. Aim for a rough circle, but don’t worry about perfection; the rustic charm is part of a galette’s appeal! Next, take the softened confit garlic cloves from your tomato confit (reserving the oil and tomatoes) and mash them gently with a fork directly onto the rolled-out pastry, spreading them evenly across the surface, leaving a 1.5-2 inch border for folding.
Step 2: Carefully arrange the confit tomatoes over the mashed garlic layer in the center of the pastry. Distribute them gently, ensuring they form an even layer but try not to mash them, allowing them to largely retain their whole, tender shape. The goal is to create a beautiful, bountiful filling that will cook down into a delightful jammy core.
Step 3: Once the tomatoes are in place, begin folding the exposed edges of the pastry inwards over the filling, creating a free-form, rustic border. Pinch and pleat the dough as needed to keep the filling contained and form a roughly circular shape. Whisk one large egg with a fork to create an egg wash, then gently brush this over the folded pastry crust. This will give it a beautiful golden sheen. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the egg-washed crust for added flavor and texture.
Step 4: Transfer the baking sheet with the assembled galette to your preheated oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the pastry crust is a beautiful golden brown and appears crisp. The filling should be bubbling slightly and look richly caramelized. Keep an eye on it to prevent over-browning.
Step 5: Once baked, remove the galette from the oven. While still warm, generously top it with torn pieces of creamy burrata cheese or thinly sliced fresh mozzarella. The residual heat from the galette will gently warm and soften the cheese to perfection. Then, scatter plenty of fresh basil leaves, either whole or sliced into ribbons, over the top for a burst of aromatic freshness. A final drizzle of balsamic glaze can be added for an extra layer of sweetness and tang.
Step 6: Allow the galette to cool slightly before slicing. This helps the flavors meld and the cheese to set just enough for clean slices. Serve your Mediterranean-inspired tomato galette warm or at room temperature. It makes a delightful centerpiece for brunch, a sophisticated appetizer for dinner parties, or a comforting lunch. Enjoy the symphony of flavors!
🥄 Make Ahead Tips for Convenience
This tomato galette is an excellent candidate for partial make-ahead preparation, allowing you to streamline your cooking process and enjoy fresh-baked goodness with less stress. Planning ahead ensures maximum flavor and convenience:
- Tomato Confit: The confit tomatoes are your best friend for make-ahead convenience. You can prepare them up to one month in advance. After cooking, allow the confit to cool completely, then transfer the tomatoes and their oil to a clean, airtight jar or container. Ensure the tomatoes are fully submerged in the olive oil; this is crucial for preservation. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The seasoned oil can also be strained and saved for other recipes.
- Olive Oil Pastry Dough: The pastry dough can also be prepared a day or two ahead of your baking time. After forming the dough ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or an eco-friendly beeswax wrap to prevent it from drying out. Store it in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes to soften slightly before rolling, making it easier to work with.
While components can be made in advance, for the absolute best texture and to prevent the crust from becoming soggy, we highly recommend assembling and baking the tomato galette on the same day you plan to serve it. This ensures the pastry remains crisp and flaky, providing the perfect contrast to the succulent, jammy tomatoes.
✔️ Storage and Reheating Instructions
Should you find yourself with any delicious leftovers, proper storage will keep your tomato galette enjoyable for a few more days:
- Storage: Store any leftover tomato galette slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This will help maintain its freshness and prevent it from drying out.
- Reheating: To bring your galette back to its tender and crisp best, gently reheat individual slices in a preheated oven or a toaster oven. A temperature of around 300°F (150°C) for about 10-15 minutes should be sufficient, or until warmed through and the crust has regained some of its crispness. Microwaving is not recommended as it can make the crust soft and less appealing.
Looking for other crowd-pleasing, make-ahead options? Try these incredibly easy cheese and bacon rolls, perfect for feeding a gathering!
📖 Frequently Asked Questions About Tomato Confit & Galettes
No, confit is distinctly different from deep frying. While both involve cooking in oil, confit is a low-temperature, slow-cooking process that gently tenderizes and concentrates the flavors of the ingredient, often leading to a luxurious, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Deep frying, in contrast, uses high heat for rapid cooking, creating a crispy exterior through a much quicker process. Confit is about infusing and preserving, while deep frying is about quick crisping.
It is generally not recommended to make confit with large, cut-up tomatoes for this recipe. Whole large tomatoes would require an excessively long cooking time to tenderize properly in the oil. If you cut them into pieces, they tend to release too much water and can easily disintegrate into the oil, resulting in a pulpy, less desirable texture for a galette filling. Small varieties like cherry or grape tomatoes maintain their shape, develop a more concentrated jammy texture, and cook much more effectively.
Tomato confit, when properly stored, can last for a surprisingly long time. To ensure its longevity, always store the confit in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator, making sure the cooked tomatoes are fully submerged under the layer of olive oil. As long as they remain completely covered by the oil, they can keep for up to a month or even longer. The oil acts as a barrier, preventing spoilage.
Unlike traditional butter-based pastries, chilling is generally not necessary for an olive oil pastry. We’ve found that this particular olive oil dough yields excellent results whether it’s chilled or used immediately. Butter pastries, such as those used in our mini blueberry pies, require chilling to solidify the butter, which is essential for creating those distinct flaky layers during baking. While olive oil pastry is inherently a little less flaky than a butter crust, it still bakes up wonderfully tender and crisp without the need for refrigeration before rolling, offering a more convenient baking experience.
🥧 More Delicious Recipes to Explore:
- Cheese and Bacon Rolls No Knead
- Pumpkin Spice Butter Board
- Strawberry Galette
- Tangy Lemon Brownies
Did you make this delightful recipe? We would absolutely love for you to rate this recipe and share your thoughts in the comments section below! Your feedback is invaluable. Don’t forget to share your culinary creation on Instagram and tag @flouringkitchen. For more inspiring recipe ideas and baking tips, make sure to follow us on Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Tomato Galette
MaryEquipment
- large baking sheet
Ingredients
Tomato Confit
- 18 oz cherry tomatoes (500g) or similar small tomatoes
- 4 large garlic cloves peeled and whole
- 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 sprigs basil fresh
- 2 cups extra virgin olive oil or enough to cover
Olive Oil Pastry
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour 240g
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons water if needed, as needed
Assembly
- 1 large egg whisked (egg wash)
- 1 teaspoon balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar
- 1 sprig basil leaves fresh and sliced into ribbons
- 1 burrata cheese or fresh mozzarella
Instructions
Tomato Confit
- Preheat oven to 260°F (130°C). Find an oven safe baking dish that fits your tomatoes without too much space in between.
- Add tomatoes and garlic cloves into the baking pan. Drizzle balsamic glaze, and sprinkle salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning on top. Squish the basil sprigs into the sides so they’re held down by the tomatoes.18 oz cherry tomatoes, 4 large garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 sprigs basil
- Pour olive oil over the tomatoes to cover completely. Bake uncovered for 60-90 minutes or until they smell delicious, the tomatoes are soft, and the skins have burst open. Let cool until cool enough to handle.2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Olive Oil Pastry
- While the tomato confit cools, make the pastry. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, olive oil, and salt. Whisk to combine.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Sift flour and baking powder right into the same bowl. Stir until it begins to form a dough.2 cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- If the dough isn’t coming together, add water a tablespoon at a time to help it come together. I added 4 tablespoons of water to create a soft dough that just holds together in a ball (don’t overmix). Shape the dough into a disk.4 tablespoons water
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough out directly on the parchment paper until ¼” thick or slightly thinner.
- Top with confit garlic, and spread the garlic cloves out evenly to coat the bottom. Fill the middle of the pastry with confit tomatoes.
- Fold the edges of the pastry in to keep the filling inside and create a rustic freehand tart shape. Brush the top of the pastry with one egg whisked with a fork and sprinkle with salt.1 large egg
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the edges are crisp.
- Top with more balsamic glaze, basil leaves, and pieces of burrata cheese (or fresh mozzarella). Slice and serve!1 burrata cheese, 1 sprig basil leaves, 1 teaspoon balsamic glaze