Squash and Ricotta Pie

A few months ago I saw on another blog a recipe for a Squash and Ricotta Galette. I'm not french and I certainly don't cook like I am so I wont call this a Galette(the french word for a stuffed pie crust.) Plus I had to look up what Galette meant so I knew what I was trying to cook. It sounded really good and not too hard so I tried it. Well I'm not a baker and I really didn't enjoy trying to make a homemade pie crust. The main reason was it called for a pastry cutter. I had no idea what that was so after I looked it up i realized I didn't have one I just used a fork and the end of a whisk. I thought it worked ok. In my opinion it was just too messy and too much work to make the pie crust so next time I will just by one. The filling was really easy. It was just ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan. A little olive oil and garlic too. You just add the filling to the pie dough, top with squash and fold the edge over. He are some pictures of mine.

The Filling

Pie dough with Filling

Wrapped with egg wash brushed on

Finished

Eaten!

It was very good though. By not using the pastry cutter i don't think the butter in the crust was in small enough pieces. The crust was flaky but only in places. A lot of the butter cooked out and made the whole thing a little too buttery for me. That's why next time I will use the store bought crust. I think in would be good to do everything the same and then top it with a little more parm and mozzarella.

 

Here is the recipe copied from http://theforkandknife.com/2011/06/27/summer-squash-and-ricotta-galette/

 For the crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled in the fridge

1/4 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 – 1/2 cup ice water

Filling:

1 large summer squash, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup (1 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup (1 oz) shredded mozzarella

1 tablespoon basil, torn or cut into ribbons


Glaze:

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Dough:

Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl, then stick into the freezer until well-chilled. Cut a single stick of butter into small cubes and refrigerate to ensure they are not softened. When the flour mixture and the butter are both chilled, pull them out and combine in a single large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are the size of small peas.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Lightly pat the lumps into a ball, being careful not to overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Filling:

Lay the squash out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 30 minutes. Gently blot the tops of the squash with a paper towel. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon of the garlic and oil together. If your mozzarella or parmesan are salty, you can skip any additional seasoning. If they’re not, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preparing your tart:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round (using a rolling pin or a clean, empty wine bottle). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the dough onto the baking sheet. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Starting from the outer edge, tile the squash rounds just on top of one another in concentric circles until the ricotta mixture is covered. Drizzle the remaining teaspoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture over the zucchini. Fold the dough’s edge just over the filling (the center of the tart will be exposed). Brush your crust with your egg yolk glaze.
Bake until your crust is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil, and let stand 5 minutes before serving.