1.08.2009

Cabbage Galette: Take Two

Remember?  You probably don't.  It's okay, I understand.  So let me refresh your memory...

...Back in April 2008, I tried to make the cabbage galette recipe in My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde.  It was a failure in every way: I forgot major ingredients (I blame the wine I was drinking...and the fact that Adam and Kiddo were gone and I couldn't concentrate with all the silence and peace around me) and the whole thing went directly into the trash.  There was no saving it.  Here is how it turned out back in April:


So fast-forward to early December where I had a half-head of cabbage to use and I was looking for ideas.  Try the galette again!  Here is how that turned out:



I remembered all the ingredients, did everything according to plan, and - for the most part - it turned out great.  It was earthy and smoky in flavor, but the textures were light and fresh.

After about 35 minutes in the oven, the top wasn't nearly as golden as I wanted (like it is in the cookbook photo) so I added 5 minutes.  But it still wasn't quite right.  Next time I'll add 10 minutes to the cooking time and see what happens.  Maybe I should turn up the heat?  Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Cabbage Galette

1/2 head green cabbage, preferably Savoy, cored & roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
7 oz slab bacon, cubed (I used thick-sliced pancetta)
2 large eggs
3 shallots, finely diced
Bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 c. milk (I used whole milk)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350 degrees (I think I might try 375 next time to get the top browner).

Steam the cabbage for 3 minutes over boiling water.  Smear a pie dish with olive oil and heat it in the oven.

In a large bowl, mix the bacon, eggs, shallots, parsley, garlic, salt, & pepper.  Add the milk and flour, and mix into a smooth dough.

Remove the hot pie dish from the oven.  Spread half the dough over the base of the dish, pile on the cabbage and pack it down with your hands, and cover with the remaining dough.  Bake for 35 minutes (I'm adding 10 minutes next time), until golden and firm.

Serves 6 (this served the 3 of us...and we had fantastic leftovers for what seemed like ages afterward).

Eat, drink, and persevere in the kitchen!


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i bet a few minutes under the broiler before serving will give it that toasty color you're after. looks great! would be a nice brunch dish, perhaps even packable for picnics? love it!

Unknown said...

Oooooh, absolutely packable! I ate leftovers at room temperature and it was fantastic. I don't know, though - the heat from the broiler wouldn't shatter my glass pie dish? I'm so paranoid about that kind of thing...

Kirstinmp said...

I am trying to make the same cabbage galette and the dough recipe seems odd. I thought I should pre-cook the bacon some and then when I added the other ingredients there seemed to be too much milk and the "dough" was very soupy. Curious what you did with the bacon and the milk? thanks.