leek and goat cheese galette

Once again I have taken one of Deborah Madison's ingenious recipes and adapted it using ghee. The results: delicous!
I have been somewhat skeptical of using ghee in place of butter for real pastry crust and dough but I have been pleasantly surprised. I find that as long as you keep a jar in the refrigerator for recipes that call for cold butter, it works beautifully...As noted in past posts regarding baking with ghee you must use 25-50% less ghee than you would butter for optimal results...

Leek and Goat Cheese Galette

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
8-10 tablespoons cold Ancient Organics Ghee
1/3-1/2 cup ice water as needed

To make the dough:

Mix:

Flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the ghee as you add tablespoons. You can use a hand method (such as knife and fork) or a food processor. It will resemble a coarse meal with a few pea sized chunks remaining. Sprinkle the ice water slowly over the top as you pulse the food processor until you can bring the dough together into a ball. Press it into a disk and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.

Filling:

6 large leeks, including an inch of the green
2 tablespoons Ancient Organics Ghee
1 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 heavy cream
salt and freshly milled pepper
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 to 1 cup goat cheese (soft chevre or a harder feta both work well)

To make the topping:

Thinly slice the leeks (after thoroughly washing them). You should have about 6 cups.

Melt the ghee in a medium sauce pan. Add the leeks, thyme, and 1/2 cup water. Stew over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the leeks are tender, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking until it's reduced, then add the cream and cook until it just coats the leeks and little liquid remains. Let cool 10 minutes, then stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg.

To form galette:

Roll out dough ( I find that it's easiest between two sheets of parchment paper) into a 14" irregular circle about 1/8" thick. Transfer to a cookie sheet and proceed with the addition of toppings.


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the leek mixture over the dough, leaving about 2" around the edge and then crumble goat cheese or feta over the top. Fold in the dough to make a crust around the filling. Brush the crust with the remaining egg and bake until the crust is browned about 25-30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top. Serve and enjoy!