Sometimes I dream up recipes to fulfill a defined, single purpose. A roast recipe for a celebration, the perfect snack for a movie night, or a warming sip for an aprés ski. But sometimes a recipe wanders into my head and I don’t have a clue what to do with it. And that is the case with today’s Cinnamon Miso Delicata Galette. This flaky beauty features tender slices of delicata squash packed into a golden whole wheat pastry slathered with cinnamon miso butter. The pie is finished with a sprinkling of rosemary, coarsely chopped pecans, and pomegranate arils. It is equal parts sweet and savory, and I think it would be right at home at the beginning or the end of the meal. Sure, this tart may have a bit of an identity crisis going on but at least it’s a delicious one. So let’s dive right in!
The first thing we’re going to tackle is the pastry. I don’t usually opt for a whole wheat pastry, but in this context, it just works. The added heft and nuttiness helps the pastry hold its own against the more aggressive flavors present in this galette. But to avoid an overly dense pastry, which is exactly the opposite of what we’re looking for, we’re going to add equal parts all-purpose and whole wheat flour to a large bowl. Add some sugar and salt for balance. Whisk everything together and grab some cold butter.
Now, ordinarily, we would cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or the like. But today we’re going for more of a lazy puff pastry situation. So here’s what we’re going to do instead; Thinly slice the butter and more or less just coat the pieces in the flour mixture. You can press the pieces between your thumbs and index fingers to create thinner leaves of butter. But we want bigger pieces of butter in this pastry, not the typical pea-sized. I like to cut very cold (borderline frozen) butter on a mandolin. Please use a safety mitt for this. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this but I’m going to anyway – butter is slippery.
Pour cold water into the butter and flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Turn it out onto a floured surface and lightly knead it until it more or less comes together. Roll the pastry out to a small, rough rectangle and then fold it like a letter. Give the pastry a quarter turn, roll it out again, and fold it again. Repeat one more time. Wrap the pastry in parchment paper and chill for 1 hour.
While the pastry is chilling, we can prep the fillings. Let’s start with the squash. Cut two delicata squashes in half. Remove and discard the seeds before cutting the squash into thin slices. When the squash is preped we can move on to the cinnamon miso butter. Start by finely chopping a couple of tablespoons worth of fresh rosemary. Place the rosemary in a bowl. Add softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a tablespoon of miso paste. Beat everything together until well integrated. You can make the butter mixture ahead of time and store it in the fridge. But make sure you bring it back up to room temperature before assembling the tart. We want it nice and spreadable.
Retrieve the pastry from the fridge, and roll it out on a well-floured surface. Aim for a shape somewhat resembling a circle. Coil the pastry onto the rolling pin and unspool it onto a piece of parchment paper. Place the miso butter mixture in the center of the pastry and, using the back of a spoon, spread it to form a 9” circle in the center of the pastry. Arrange the squash slices on top of the miso butter and fold the pastry edges towards the center. Brush the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Brush the pastry with an egg wash and transfer your Cinnamon Miso Delicata Galette to a hot oven. Bake until golden.
Take the tart out of the oven and brush honey over the squash while it’s still very warm. Top with coarsely chopped pecans, pomegranate arils, and fresh rosemary. Serve the Cinnamon Miso Delicata Galette warm or at room temperature. I prefer it warm, myself. And as I mentioned, I can see this beauty being right at home as a starter or as a sweet ending to any autumn meal. It’s a versatile dish, to say the least.
Enjoy!
Cinnamon Miso Delicata Galette
Equipment
- 1 mandoline optional
- 1 Large baking sheet optional
- 1 pizza stone optional
- 1 hand mixer optional
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Pastry
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter cold
- ¼ cup cold water
Cinnamon Miso Delicata Galette
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 delicata squashes halved, deseeded, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¼ cup roasted pecans coarsely chopped, for sprinkling
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils for sprinkling
Instructions
For the Pastry
- Place the all-purpose and whole wheat flour in a large bowl. Add sugar and salt and whisk to combine.½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 2 tsp granulated sugar, ½ tsp salt
- Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, thinly slice the butter into the flour mixture. Toss to coat the butter pieces in the flour mixture. Add the water and stir until a shaggy dough forms.8 tbsp unsalted butter, ¼ cup cold water
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until it just comes together. Roll the dough out to a rough rectangle, then fold it like a letter. Give the pastry a quarter turn and repeat this two more times. Wrap the pastry in parchment paper and chill for one hour.
For the Galette
- When the pastry is in the last 15 minutes of its rest time, preheat the oven to 375°F. Place your pizza stone (if using) in the oven while it's preheating.
- Place the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, miso, and rosemary in a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Set aside. **¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp white miso paste, 2 tbsp fresh rosemary
- Roll the pastry out into a rough circle about ⅛ of an inch thick. Coil the pastry onto the rolling and unspool it onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Place the miso butter in the center, and using the back of a spoon spread it into a 9" circle. Top the butter with the squash slices and fold the edges of the pastry towards the center. Brush the squash with the olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.2 delicata squashes, 2 tbsp olive oil
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the egg and water. Brush the mixture all over the pastry. Transfer the the galette to the oven and slide it onto the pizza stone. If you don't have a pizza stone, transfer the galette to a large baking sheet. Bake for 55 minutes or until golden.1 large egg, 1 tbsp water
- Take the galette out of the oven and immediately brush the squash with the honey. Sprinkle the tart with the pecans, pomegranate arils, and additional fresh rosemary. Serve warm or at room temperature.1 tbsp honey, ¼ cup roasted pecans, ¼ cup pomegranate arils
