Goat Cheese and Leek Galette with Strawberry Salad

September 22nd, 2009

I think I have discovered the aroma that will have everyone stopping in their tracks and exclaiming ” Oh my, what is that cooking ?”. That was just my reaction when my Daughter-In-Law, Kristen cooked dinner for us last week. The aroma in question was caused by leeks sweating in white wine and butter. It actually topped my all time favorite scent of apple pie with cinnamon baking in the oven. She was making us a simple meal of goat cheese and leek galette with a strawberry poppy seed salad. It took her only one half hour to put together, but the anticipation created by the homey smells in the kitchen made it one of the most delicious meals I have eaten in a while.

I made the galette again last night. It was just as I remembered it. The original recipe came from Epicurious. Kristen and I both made changes to the recipe. Instead of flavoring it with marjoram, I used dried basil and thyme. I substitued the unflavored goat cheese with a tomato and basil goat cheese. Kristen and I both used the Pillsbury thin pizza crust.


The salad that Kristen put together was colorful and full of “good for you” tasty ingredients. The strawberries, avocado and baby spinach were accented with green onions, cashews and a good bottled poppy seed dressing. Kristen is a busy working Mother and these are the kinds of meals she cooks on a regular basis. I would say that she is on the right track. I will have her share more of her meal ideas in the future.
GOAT CHEESE AND LEEK GALETTE (adapted from Epicurious )
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 Tbls butter
2 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 egg, beaten to blend
1 11oz. tube refrigerated thin crust pizza dough
4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese flavored with tomato and basil, crumbled
1 Tbls butter melted and mixed with reserved egg ( season this with salt and pepper)
Position rack in top third of oven; preheat to 450 degrees. Heat wine and butter in heavy medium skillet over medium low heat until butter melts. Add leeks. Cover; cook until leeks are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix in herbs. Reserve 2 tsp. egg; stir remaining egg into leek mixture. Meanwhile, unroll pizza dough on lightly oiled baking sheet. Stretch or pull dough to 13″ x 10″ rectangle. Spread leek mixture over dough. Sprinkle cheese and pepper over filling. Fold 1-inch border in over filling. Brush folded edge with reserved 2 tsp. egg and butter mixture.
Bake galette until crust is golden brown, about 14 minutes.
STRAWBERRY POPPYSEED SALAD
Baby Spinach
Fresh strawberries (quarted)
Fresh Avocado (large chop)
Chopped green onion
Cashews
Old Cape Cod Poppy Seed Dressing
Layer all the ingredients from the bottom to the top in a shallow bowl. Toss with the poppyseed dressing and serve.

13 responses to “Goat Cheese and Leek Galette with Strawberry Salad”

  1. Robin Sue says:

    I love the salad and the addition of the avocado sounds wonderful. I will have to add it to mine some time!

  2. The flat cake looks incredible. Our neighborhood chili cookoff is coming soon, and my neighbor always shows up with some amazing bread… I need to take a long look at this, I think I could have a winner. I do love goat cheese anything. Excellent post

  3. Love the Galette with Kristin’s salad. Goat cheese is one of my favorites and strawberries and avocado would make any salad taste better.
    Sam

  4. Susan says:

    The salad and the galette! Perfect.

  5. Mary says:

    What a great creation. Leeks and goat cheese were made for each other. The salad is gorgeous. A very nice meal. My compliments to that very bust chef/working Mom.

  6. Grace says:

    that’s the best use for pizza dough that i’ve come across in a long time, and the salad is the perfect dish to use to bid summer adieu. 🙂

  7. Oh Penny! It is about 5PM and I have been working all day on the new house. These recipes sound so wonderful. Thanks for sharing them!

  8. Can’t wait to try your modifications to the galette… sounds fantastic!

    The galette is so versatile! It also pairs well with a tomato (or even butternut squash) bisque in the colder months. I could eat this over and over again! 🙂

  9. Katy ~ says:

    The galette sounds sensational! I would LOVE it. And strawberries win my heart every time!

  10. Oh yum! Just as the weather is turning crisp. Thanks for sharing.

  11. Karine says:

    Wow! Both recipes sound delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  12. What a great meal! I love the smell of onions and all it’s relatives cooking up.
    Simple, colourful and delicious.

  13. Kate says:

    Hi Penny, I made your Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad this week. It was delicious. I shared your blog and the salad at the Saturday Blog Showcase.
    http://allthatsplatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/saturday-blog-showcase-18-avocado-mango.html

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