Second Helpings #10 Cheesy Leek and Butter Bean Galette

Perfect winter comfort food

Happy New Year! Hope all of you are having a good start to 2023. Did you make any resolutions? Any baking specific resolutions? I would love to hear what you want to tackle this year. The recipe you’ve always wanted to try? The technique you’ve always been daunted by. For some of you that may well be homemade puff pastry. If thats the case I have just the recipe for you once you’ve got a batch of pastry waiting for you in the fridge. As it’s Galette de Rois season I had beautiful galettes on the brain but I wasn’t craving frangipane or anything sweet to be honest, I was in the mood for hearty comfort food.

This galette is made with the most comforting mixture of leeks, cooked down with garlic, thyme and mustard, like the start of a good pie filling. Instead of the expected bacon and stock used to make a thick creamy filling I added some jarred white beans along with their liquid and cooked this down until the moisture had mostly evaporated. The starchy bean water (sounds delicious right?!) created a mixture with body that makes for an incredible galette filling. To make the whole thing extra comforting the filling is covered with a generous layer of cheese, a mix of mature cheddar and some double Gloucester. I made this on a particular wet and cold day and it couldn’t have been a more perfect dish. The pastry is incredibly flaky, the filling warm and comforting. Served alongside a simple salad it made for a wonderful meal.