I have a confession to make — I don’t really like recipes. Writing them is harder than I ever imagined because truthfully, cooking is on of the few things in life that comes really naturally to me. I’ve been cooking almost as long as I can remember. I recalled a burned ladybug cookie incident when I was about 8 and making some penguin truffles from a recipe in my American Girl Magazine a year or two before that. But somewhere along the way in the past 20 years, recipes became much more “guidelines” than rules. Now, baking usually requires a strict adherence to the recipe as it is more science, where cooking is more art.

When I made this tomato galette I definitely opted on the side of guidelines. The quantities are not strict measurements and some of you bakers might truly hate it, but as the kids say, sorry not sorry. One of the great things about cooking this way is that it lends itself to endless variations that make each one cooked personalized to the chef. This rustic tarte is a great summer dish. And it genuinely can be eaten at breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner — trust me!

A few things to know before you make this:

Buy good quality tomatoes. If you can get them from an organic grower or hothouse grower at the farmer’s market, that would be most ideal. Heirlooms are a good option, but they need to have not gotten too soft yet to be able to be cut into somewhat thin slices.
Don’t be afraid to substitute. Don’t like Dijon or whole grain mustard? Omit it. Like Italian herbs better than herbes de Provence? Make the swap. Want to use garlic instead of shallots? Go for it!
You can make your own pie crust dough. I recommend this or this one. But if you choose to use store-bought ( and I do), please make sure you buy one that isn’t full of junk. Personally, I only use Trader Joe’s because they have a much shorter ingredient list than many other brands. And some brilliant person (likely a woman) over there realized that pie dough should come in boxes like pizza crust and not rolled up so that it doesn’t get cracks in it. Genius!
I did bake this in my toaster oven on my baking stone. I recommend this method, but you can also absolutely just bake it on a baking sheet.

Herbed Ricotta Tomato Galette

Ingredients

1 Pie Crust
2 medium sized ripe, but firm tomatoes
2 spoonfuls of dijon or whole grain mustard
1-2 cups of ricotta cheese
1 spoonful of herbes de Provence
1-2 shallots
A small hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano or other hard cheese (like 1000 day gouda)
Salt & Pepper

To Make:

Preheat oven to 375 (with stone in if using)
Cover workspace with large enough piece of parchment paper to fit pie crust. Lay pie crust on top.
Carefully smooth the mustard into a circle starting in the center of the crust and leaving 3 inches around the edge of dough.
Halve and thinly slice shallots. Place in small mixing bowl. Add ricotta and herbes de Provence and salt and pepper to taste and gently mix.
Spread ricotta mixture on top of mustard.
Remove any vines and stems from tomatoes. Cut thin slices (about 1/4 inch) and halve if desired. Starting in the middle of the tarte, place slices down in concentric circles.
Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Use a micro-planer to cover tomatoes in a thin layer of cheese.
Begin folding the pie crust over so that the 3 inches you left without filling are laying over top the outer edge of tomatoes. For tips on how to do this, head over here. If you are feeling bougie, you can do an egg wash on the crust. I omit this step because I do not find it necessary. And I am kinda lazy.
Transfer parchment paper to the baking stone or baking sheet. Trim edges if needed. Place in oven.
Bake for 25-35 minutes. Keep an eye on it as you want the crust to be golden brown but not dark. If you can (sometimes the dough is too soft for me) once it has baked most of the way through, I slide the parchment out and allow the galette to complete baking on the baking stone to crisp up the underside.
Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. You can also sprinkle with fresh herbs like basil. Make it a nice lunch by adding an easy green salad and some sangria and enjoy outside.