Butternut Squash and Bacon Galette

Butternut Squash and Bacon Galette

Here’s a peak of one of our recipes in Bacon Nation. Available in early May and published by Workman, our cookbook offers 125 recipes —  all of them made with that irresistible flavoring ingredient — bacon.

Testing led to the discovery that pairing bacon with butternut squash is a great idea. Try this galette, a free-formed pastry tart, the next time you need a dinner party appetizer, or a side dish for a beef or poultry roast, or when you want to impress a friend with an elegant lunch. I add a bunch of pictures to help you through the process of rolling out and folding the dough over the bacon-butternut squash and tomato-leek filling.

Don’t you find the process of rolling out dough for pies and tarts very soothing? I used to watch my grandmother and mother roll out their doughs for homemade pasta, Christmas cookies, and fruit pies. And whenever I take a rolling pin to dough, I feel wonderfully connected to them again.  

 For the Pastry Crust:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus flour for rolling out the crust

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

¼ teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons ice-cold water

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the Filling:

5 thick-cut apple wood smoked bacon slices, cut into ½-inch dice 

1-3/4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2 by ½-inch slices, (4 to 4-1/2 cups)

¼ tsp salt

Freshly grated black pepper to taste

2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, halved and thinly sliced crosswise (about 1-1/2 cups)

6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1.) Make the pastry crust: Combine flour, butter, margarine, tarragon and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the water evenly over the mixture and pulse just until a ball forms. If necessary, add another tablespoon of water and pulse a few more times until the dough holds together. (Gently press the dough into a 5-inch disk; wrap it in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour, or as long as overnight. 

2.) Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

3.) While the dough chills, make the filling for the galette. In large, non-stick skillet, cook the bacon pieces in a single layer until brown, but not too crisp, and the fat is rendered, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool; reserve the fat in skillet. (You should have about 2-1/2 Tablespoons fat. If necessary, add a little olive oil to pan or pour off a little of the bacon fat to make 2-1/2 tablespoons.)

4.) Transfer the cut squash to a large baking pan and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from skillet over the squash; sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Toss the squash to coat in the fat and spread out in the pan in one layer. Roast, about 17 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown around edges, turning once halfway through roasting. Remove the squash from the oven, and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F.

5.) Heat the remaining bacon fat in the skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook over medium heat, partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes, or until leeks have softened and are lightly browned at the edges. Add the tomatoes and the garlic; partially cover and cook only about 1 minute more, or until the tomatoes have slightly softened, about 1 minute.

6.) Assemble the Galette: Roll the dough out into a 12 to 13-inch round (It will be quite thin.) on a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin.

Transfer to a large, ungreased, nonstick baking sheet. Arrange the squash in an even layer in the center of the dough, leaving a 2 inch border surrounding the squash.

Arrange the leek and tomato mixture evenly over squash.

Sprinkle the bacon evenly over the vegetables. Fold the border of the dough towards the center, leaving a 3 to 4-inch wide hole in the center of the tart.

Pinch the folds of the dough as necessary.  Brush the dough with beaten egg (you won’t use it all) and bake until crust is cooked through and golden at the edges, 30 to 35 minutes.

Set the baking sheet on a rack and let the galette cool 10 minutes before slicing like a pie and serving. Serves 6 to 8. 

Recipe Notes: 

For this recipe, I first used the very delicious Niman Ranch applewood smoked dry-cured bacon, which is relatively thickly cut. Niman’s bacon can be a little fatty, especially at the end of each slice, so if you wish, trim off a little of the excess fat before cooking.