Cherry Tomato Crostata (Galette)

I’ve never met a crostata I didn’t like.

Buttery, flaky and filled with juicy fruit, they’re one of those desserts that have all the right textures and flavors in one bite.

This easy cherry tomato crostata still has those delicious textures, but in a more savory tone. Instead of the usual vanilla ice cream topping, it gets creamy, melty burrata cheese and sprinkles of fresh basil.

I’m usually one for sweet berry pies, galettes, or crostatas, but in this case the cherry tomatoes tossed with herbs and olive oil baked in that buttery crostata dough is definitely top on my summer must-haves.

The plus side to this tomato galette is that you can shape and fold the dough as neat or not-so-neat as you’d like. No fancy pie shapes here, the more rustic the better!

Cherry tomato crostata ingredients:

• cornmeal dough: flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, butter and buttermilk (recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.)
• cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• fresh thyme
• fresh basil
• garlic
• lemon zest
• burrata cheese (you can also use goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, etc.)

How to make savory tomato crostata:

1. Make the dough: combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Using a pastry cutter (or two forks), cut the butter until it’s in small, pea-size pieces.
2. Slowly stream in just enough cold water until moistened (you don’t want it forming a ball). If you grab the mixture with your hands and it holds it’s shape, then it’s ready to go! If it’s still crumbly, add another tablespoon of water.
3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently work into a ball. Wrap and flatten into a thick disc with hands. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 3 days.
4. For the filling: preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
5. Place cherry tomatoes in large bowl. Add generous pinch of salt and let sit for 5-7 minutes to draw out excess water.
6. Drain tomatoes of the excess liquid, return to bowl. Toss with olive oil, lemon zest, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic.
7. Once dough has chilled, remove from refrigerator and place onto lightly floured surface. Roll out into a 12″ circle (it does not have to be uniform).
8. Transfer to lined baking sheet and lightly dust middle with corn meal. Add tomato filling on top of corn meal. Fold edges of the dough over the filling, overlapping slightly. Brush with egg wash.
9. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden and tomatoes are burst.
10. Remove and top with burrata cheese and fresh basil. Serve warm or at room temp.

Tips for the perfect cherry tomato crostata:

1. Be sure to let the tomatoes sit at least 5 minutes with salt. Tomatoes have a lot of moisture which could leave you with a soggy crostata. The salt draws out the excess moisture from the tomatoes.
2. Another tip that helps to keep the crust from getting soggy is to toss the tomatoes with a little cornstarch. This will thicken the juices into a more jam-like consistency.
3. To really ensure that your crostata doesn’t end up soggy in the middle, I like to dust it with corn meal or flour before adding my filling. This helps absorb that extra moisture from those juicy tomatoes.
4. For the perfect crostata dough, you want your butter and water to be COLD. You also must chill the dough for at least 1 hour. The cold butter helps create that perfect flaky light texture.
5. Don’t go crazy when folding your crostata, the less “perfect” the better! That’s the beauty of a crostata, they’re meant to be rustic looking ;).

What’s the difference between crostata and a galette?

There’s no difference between a crostata and a galette!

Crostata is the Italian term and Galette is the French term but they both mean and open faced fruit tart.

For more crostata and pie recipes try:

Apple Crumb Crostata

Peach-Blueberry Lavender Crostata

Pumpkin Pie with Toasted Maple Meringue

Triple Berry Custard Pie with Crumb Topping

If you make this recipe don’t forget to comment below or leave a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback!