Here's the thing: I love having people over for dinner, and I love cooking with others in the kitchen, I'm just not crazy about sharing the actual cooking. This is partly because I'm a bit of a control freak in the kitchen, partly a hangover from poky, tiny sharehouse kitchens where there was barely enough counter space for one person, and a suspicion that it's just not hospitable to ask guests to help with cooking.
None of these reasons are rational, but that's just how I roll. Fortunately, my current kitchen contains the dining table, so I can easily talk and hang out while cooking. Still, I appreciate a recipe with little hands-on time when I have people over.
This luscious little galette fits the bill. You simply roast a butternut pumpkin, then pile the roasted pumpkin guts on to a yeasted galette dough. There are really only three moments when you have to do something, the rest of the time you're allowing things to roast, rise and bake.
It's deceptively simple for such a luscious, flavoursome tart. The gorgonzola works beautifully with the garlicky pumpkin, and this yeasted dough develops a good, springy crumb in the oven. Make it next time you have guests.
Pumpkin and gorgonzola galette
Serves 4-6
A small butternut pumpkin
1-2 heads of garlic
100g gorgonzola, or another strong blue cheese
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp, or 1 sachet, dried yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
An egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup flour
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Split the pumpkin in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Break the garlic into cloves and divide them, whole and unpeeled, between the pumpkin seed cavities. Turn on to a baking papered baking sheet, so the pumpkin halves are cut side down. Bake for 40-50 minutes until very tender.
Meanwhile, combine water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy. Stir in the egg and olive oil. Whisk together salt and flour in a large bowl, then fold in the yeast mixture using a large metal spoon to form a slightly sticky dough. Turn on to a floured counter and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, around 10-15 turns. Spray a small bowl with oil and place the dough in it, turning to coat. Allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
When the pumpkin is ready remove from the oven (don't switch off) and allow it to cool. When it's cool enough to handle scrape the flesh out into a bowl, then squeeze in around half of the cooked garlic cloves (they should just pop out of the papery skin). Use a potato masher to combine. Crumble in the gorgonzola and combine with a spoon.
When the dough has had it's time punch down and roll out to a rough circle. I like to use a tart tin to hold my galettes, but you could easily free form it on a baking sheet. Either way, drape your circle of dough over your baking implement of choice and mound the pumpkin mixture in the centre. Fold over the excess.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Give it a good five minutes to cool after baking before serving.