Roasted Carrot Daikon Galette

Yesterday, all I wanted to do was run across a cheerful field of grass with my arms thrown out to the sides, singing at the top of my lungs. It hit 70 in Boston!! I wore a light blazer, a silk black jumpsuit, and flats. I wore flats. For the first time since Labor Day (not really, but it feels like it), I was able to wear my thin flats without worrying about mud, remaining snow, or gross sleet forming puddles all around the road. This past weekend was similar. I walked around in high spirits, soaking up the rays of the sun. Meg and I actually sat in Stella’s outdoor patio, sipping on chilled glasses of rosé and Riesling, talking about exciting future projects and just exchanging stories of our silly puppies.

What a glorious weekend. And now, I bring to you a galette of vegetables. Carrot and daikon. I’m  going to be honest with you. I’ve only had daikon sautéed on a pan, shredded and turned into patties, or cooked into soup. But the point of this blog is not only to honor my mom’s recipes but also to push boundaries and try new things. I also felt like it’s been way too long since I’ve had a flaky pie crust, so I put roasted carrot and daikon together in a simple, rustically formed galette.

I found these wonderful multi-color carrots at Whole Foods the other day. I also picked up my daikon from there. I was a bit surprised. I was more used to the super thick, bulbous daikons that you can find in Asian supermarkets. I’m talking about really thick (thicker than the average wrist) radishes that rarely end on such a fine, tapered tip. The taste was the same. I only used one daikon for this dish. I used the others chopped finely in a simple daikon miso tofu soup, which was comforting within itself.

When I roasted the vegetables, I added a whole head of garlic wrapped in foil. I think I learned of this method from Jon of The Candid Appetite. I vaguely remember reading about this method. Oh my -it will make the garlic SO aromatic that you want to eat it right out of the oven. I ended up mashing this roasted garlic and mixing it with gruyere cheese, then tossing it with the roasted vegetables. Don’t skip this step – it makes the galette mouthwateringly flavored with garlic.

The hardest part, for me, is to form the galette and then transfer it to the pan. Silly, silly me. I should’ve rolled the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and then easily life the whole thing onto the baking sheet. However, I ran out of parchment paper. Eek.

I had some fresh gruyère left over from these scones. I had to add it into this galette. However, I would imagine using goat cheese would produce a very delicious galette. I also sprinkled chopped fresh thyme leaves within the crust, but that is completely up to you. That’s what I love about galettes. You can have so many variations and customizations.

My husband was super skeptical. His experience with daikon is similar to mine – mostly in soups. If you didn’t know, daikon cooked in a broth has a very distinct flavor. It becomes translucent and as soft as mashed potatoes. I put miso in my soup, but you honestly would not even need it. The natural flavor of daikon permeates through the broth. Scatter in some fresh scallions, and you’ll have a delicious, simple soup. Roasted daikon is delicious!!!!! It’s got a tang to it, but it becomes quite soft and pairs well with carrots and garlic.

RECIPE: Roasted Carrot Daikon Galette
Pie crust adapted from Four & Twenty Blackbirds

Single 9″ pie crust
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 stick butter, pre-chopped into 1 cm cubes and placed in the freezer
1/2 cup ice cold water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
1| Pie Crust: Prepare all ingredients. Mix apple cider vinegar with water, and place that in the freezer as well.
2| Mix together flour, salt, sugar, and thyme.
3| Take butter out of the freezer and using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers, work quickly and cut butter into dry ingredients. You should end up with pea sized chunks, which is completely fine!
4| Take out cider vinegar / water mixture. Using tablespoons at a time, mix it into dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix or knead. Add the mixture gradually – you can always add more water, but you can’t take it out. The resulting dough should be damp but not moist.
5| Shape into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Roasted Carrot Daikon Galette
1 cup carrot (about 3-4 carrots), sliced thinly
1 cup daikon (one large daikon), sliced thinly
1/2 onion, sliced very thinly
1 head garlic, end chopped off to reveal fresh cloves
olive oil, for driving
2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 cup gruyère, grated (or crumbled goat cheese)

egg + splash of water, beaten.

1| Heat oven to 375F. Combine carrots, daikon, and onions and drizzle olive oil until lightly coated. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
2| Wrap head of garlic drizzled with some olive oil in foil.
3| Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.
4| Increase oven to 400F.
5| Roll pie crust onto a sheet of parchment paper.
6| Using a fork, squeeze cloves out of skins, Mash with the fork until flattened. Toss with roasted vegetables.
7| Sprinkle half the cheese onto the surface of the pie dough. Gently place vegetable mixture on the dough, leaving about 1″ border. Fold and pleat edges. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Brush lightly with egg wash.
8| Bake for 35 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving!