Have you got a few zucchini rolling around in the crisper?

Perfect!

You need to make this Tomato, Zucchini and Vidalia Galette.

A galette is basically a free-form pie that you shape with your hands instead of using a pie pan, so it’s beautiful in this sort of loose, casual, accidentally awesome way. You know how it is when you see a woman pin up her hair with chopsticks, and it looks relaxed and sophisticated at the same time? This galette has that vibe, only when I try it, I don’t look like I fell asleep on a bag of Chinese takeout. 

My favorite shortcut is that you use frozen puff pastry for the crust instead of starting from scratch. Just thaw the pastry overnight in the fridge overnight or on your kitchen counter for about 40 minutes. If you want your galette to have a more finished look, you can cut a 12-inch round out of your puff pastry and use it, but I like to keep it simple and use the whole sheet, weird corners and all.

No one worries about the weird corners when they see a crisp, buttery, crust slathered with herbed goat cheese and covered in slices of zucchini, tomato and sautéed onion.

And the smell? Especially after you sprinkle a little fresh basil on top?

I haven’t made it through the 15-minute cooling time yet.

Serve it with a simple salad (or soup, if it’s not 109 degrees where you live) and fresh lemonade. Or a bottle of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, if you’re feeling saucy.

Your friends won’t know what hit ’em.

Tomato, Zucchini and Vidalia Galette

If you want to get fancy, cut the puff pastry into 12-inch round instead of using the full sheet.

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse’s “Farm to Fork”

Serves 4

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 small Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tomatoes, stem ends trimmed
• 2 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
• 4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1. Lightly flour your counter, and roll out the puff pastry to 1/16-inch thickness. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with Silpat® or parchment paper, and chill the dough in the freezer for 15 to 60 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, plus salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring as needed, until the onions are soft and translucent. Remove the pan from the heat, and set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and arrange them on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, and set aside to drain for 10 minutes.
5. Slice the zucchini into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Mix the zucchini slices with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Stir the goat cheese to loosen it up, and spread it evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
7. Spread the sautéed onions evenly over the goat cheese.
8. Blot the tomatoes dry, and arrange them over the onions.
9. Arrange the zucchini slices over the tomatoes.
10. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top.
11. Fold the border of the pastry up and over the edge of the tomatoes.
12. Bake the galette for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and puffed. Remove the galette from the oven, and sprinkle the fresh basil over the top. Set aside for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving) – calories: 501, fat: 36g, carbs: 36g, fiber: 3g, protein: 17g. (WW PP+ = 14)

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