Vegan Cherry Tomato Galette with Pesto and Cashew Cheese
Creamy cashew cheese and a layer of pesto tucked under a blanket of roasted sweet cherry tomatoes all settled into a no fuss, free-form flaky crust makes for an easy, pretty, and super delicious meal. If you're new to pastry making, this is a perfect recipe to start with. The galette is perhaps the easiest way to make pastry which is ruggedly handsome, simple to make and makes for a lush meal!
1cupraw cashew pieces, soaked*(or 1 1/4 cups raw whole or halved cashews)
½cupunsweetenedunflavored dairy free yogurt
2tbspnutritional yeast
1tbsplemon juice
½tspgarlic powder
½tsponion powder
½tspsalt
½tspground black pepper
For the Rest:
⅓cupvegan basil pesto
4cupscherry tomatoes
Instructions
For the Crust:
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Slowly stream in the oil, and 4 tbsp of ice-cold water. With a fork, stir once in a folding motion, moving the fork over and then under the mixture. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and stir again but go through the middle instead of right under. Repeat this 3 or 4 times - the mixture will be shaggy, there will be streaks of oil and a bit of the flour will still be dry. This is perfect - if you over-mix it, the pastry will be tough and not flaky. Oil your hands and gather the dough, placing it in the middle of a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape and press it into a disc shape, then wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
For the Cashew Cheese:
Drain the cashews and place them in a high-speed blender or food processor. Add in the rest of the cashew cheese ingredients. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides periodically. The time this takes will depend on the appliance you're using and how big the pieces of cashews are, ranging from 1 to 5 minutes.
To assemble to galette:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cut 2 large pieces of parchment paper, about 20 inches in length. Place one sheet on the counter. Take the pastry dough out of the fridge, unwrap and place the disk in the middle of the parchment. Place the second piece of parchment over the disc and roll out the dough into a circle with a rolling pin to about 14 inches across and 1/8 inch thick. To do this, always start rolling from the center of the disc turning the parchment or shifting your position to roll the dough in all directions until you have a rough circle. Don't worry if the edges are jagged or uneven, this is part of the rustic appeal!
Lift up the top piece of parchment and spread the cashew cheese over the pastry leaving a 2 inch border of crust uncovered. Spread the pesto over the cashew cheese, and then arrange the cherry tomatoes over the pesto. Gently fold up the sides of the dough over the edges of the filling, overlapping the dough as you go around pleating the dough.
Slide the galette onto the round baking tray, keeping it on the parchment. Place on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown, turning the galette around half way through baking. Best eaten the same day while hot or once it's cooled to room temperature.
To do a quick soak, place the cashews in a small pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the cashews simmer for 10 minutes. To do a longer soak, place the cashews in a container and cover with water. Place in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.