Anastasia Zolotarev's Tomato and Ricotta Galette

Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favourite home cooks. For this instalment, food writer, recipe developer and Masterchef Australia contestant Anastasia Zolotarev, shares her simple tomato and ricotta galette recipe.

What do you get when you combine creamy ricotta and juicy tomatoes with a buttery, melt-in-your mouth pastry crust? The ultimate crowd pleaser.

The humble galette should be a recipe every home chef has up their sleeve. Not only do they look incredible, but they taste insanely good and they're one of the most simple dishes to make. In fact, Anastasia’s recipe only calls for eight ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. 

What sets Anastasia’s recipe apart from others is her fail-proof moist pastry. Her secret? The addition of sour cream. 

If tomatoes aren’t in season, get creative and swap them out for literally any vegetables you have on hand - the possibilities are endless. 

Really, it's minimal effort with maximum results that will have your guests begging for the recipe.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 30 minutes with 1 hour fridge resting time for the pastry

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Pastry (Shortcrust/Pate Brisee):

• 2 cups of flour (300g) sieved + a bit extra for kneading 
• 220g cold unsalted butter (diced)
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 50ml sour cream
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 1 egg yolk (for brushing the pastry)

Filling:

• 350-400g ricotta 
• 5 medium mixed coloured heirloom tomatoes or red tomatoes

Method

Combine the flour with the salt in a large bowl, and add in the diced butter. Using your fingers, toss and gently press the flour with the butter together until it’s grainy and there are no large pieces of diced butter left.

Whisk together the vinegar and sour cream in a small cup, and then add it into the flour-butter mixture. Dust your hands with the flour, then combine the mixture in the bowl together by kneading it slightly. Form the mixture into a ball. Dust it with extra flour, cover it in cling wrap and place it into the fridge. 

Rest the dough in the fridge for 1 hour, then remove and knead for 1 minute on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a roughly round shape directly on some baking paper that is approximately 23cm x 26 cm. Transfer the baking paper with the rolled-out dough onto a baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Season the ricotta with salt, then spread the ricotta over the centre of the dough surface, reaching up to 2 cm from the edge of the rolled out dough. Then slice the tomatoes into thin slices and arrange them so they are overlapping slightly, or however you like. Season with salt. Fold over the edges of the pastry into a rustic galette shape, then brush the pastry edges with egg yolk. 

Place it into the oven and bake for up to 1 hour or until golden and cooked through.

Enjoy!

Cooking notes

The pastry can be made the day before and kept in the fridge overnight wrapped in plastic. Remove from the fridge approximately 2 hours before using so that it softens. 

For an even shorter preparation time, you can use pre-made shortcrust pastry from the store. Follow the cooking instructions for the pastry on the packet. 

Shop Anastasia’s look with our Turmeric Tablecloth and Lavender Napkins.

For more from Anastasia, follow her at @anastasiazolotarev.

Hungry for more? Explore more recipes from our favourite home cooks here.