Caramelised Onion and Whipped Feta Galette
Crisp and flaky galette covered in caramelised onions and creamy feta, and somehow that pastry refuses to let any seepage through, it honestly is miraculous pastry and I really recommend you try it
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 150 g plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 115 g cold unsalted butter cubed
- 60 g Greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 60 ml cold water
For the caramelised onions
- 2 large onions
- 30 g butter
- 2 tsp dried thyme plus 1tsp extra for assembling
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 30 ml balsamic vinegar
For the whipped feta
- 100 g feta
- 75 g Greek yoghurt
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt then add the butter and toss it all together. Tip it into the food processor and pulse into rough flaky pieces and powdery yellow crumbs. Chuck it all back in the bowl and make a well in the centre. If you don't have a food processor, simply rub the butter into the flour with your finger tips.
- In a small bowl or jug, whisk together the 60g yoghurt, lemon juice and cold water and pour it into the dry ingredients. Stir it all together until it creates a rough dough. Tip it on the work surface and quickly bring it together, incorporating all the flour and crumbs until it’s all combined. Flatten it into a disc and wrap in cling film, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Peel and finely slice the onions either into strips or rings. Melt the 30g butter and once it’s sizzling add the onions. Stir it all together to coat the slices in the butter, then cover with a cartouche – a circle of greaseproof paper which you scrunch up then flatten so it collects all the condensation. Make sure the cartouche is touching the onions and sealing in all the moisture. Lower the heat completely and leave to sweat for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the whipped feta. Crumble up the feta and either put it in the food processor or in a bowl. Add the 75g Greek yoghurt and whip in the food processor or using a hand-held electric whisk. When all combined, thick and creamy, taste a little and season with a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Remove the cartouche from the onions and stir. They should have produced a lot of water, and should be soft and a bit sweet. Season with sea salt and the 2 tsp dried thyme, then return the cartouche on top and sweat for another 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/395°F and take the opportunity to tackle that mountain of washing up!
- Add the sugar to the onions and stir together. Increase the heat and the liquid in the pan will boil. Stir regularly to stop the onions from burning. When the liquid begins to reduce, add the balsamic. Mix everything together and keep cooking until all the liquid has evaporated and onions are looking dark and caramelised. It should take 5 to 10 minutes. When they are ready, pour them onto a plate and spread them out so they can cool quickly. Don’t take your pastry out the fridge until your onions are cool enough to handle otherwise they will melt the pastry.
- Line a baking tray with baking parchment and sprinkle some flour on the work surface. Beat the egg for your egg-wash. Roll out your pastry into a rough circle, to the thinness of a £1 coin, then place it on the tray – some of the pastry will hang off the edge.
- Spread the whipped feta in a circle in the middle, leaving a border of roughly 4cm around the edge. Top the feta with the cooled caramelised onions and sprinkle with the remaining tsp of thyme. Fold the pastry border over the onions in sections so that it folds and overlaps. Brush the pastry with egg wash and slide the tray into the oven to bake for 30-40 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the onions are sizzling.