Caramelized Shallot And Cherry Tomato Galette - crust

Method

• MAKE THE CRUST
• Cut the butter into small cubes. Put the butter in a small bowl and freeze for ~15 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the cubed butter and cut it into the flour mixture using either a pastry blender or your fingertips - I prefer the latter. Don't overwork the mixture - you want some small pieces of butter to remain. Work quickly if you use your hands - you don't want to melt the butter. If you have warm hands, dip your fingers into ice water and dry them off every 30 seconds or so to keep your hands cold.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water into the butter-flour mixture and gently mix with a fork. Pick up a small amount of the mixture and press it into a ball. If it falls apart, add a teaspoon more of water and mix again. The mixture should hold its shape but should not be sticky.
• Transfer half the dough to a clean work surface and smear the dough forward with the palm of your hand. This creates large streaks of butter that will make your crust extra-flaky. Transfer this dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap, and repeat with the remaining dough mixture.
• Form a disk out of the mixture, wrap it well, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• MAKE THE FILLING
• Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut any large tomatoes in half.
• Add the oil to a large saute pan set over medium heat.
• While the oil is heating, thinly slice the shallots. Add the shallots to the pan along with the salt and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are lightly golden, 7-8 minutes.
• Add the sugar and continue to cook until the shallots are a deep golden color, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the tomatoes, and stir well to combine.
• ASSEMBLE THE GALETTE
• Remove the dough from the fridge and unwrap it, leaving it on the plastic wrap.
• Heat your oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set it aside.
• Lay a large piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper on top of the dough - this will help prevent both the dough from sticking to the counter and the rolling pin from sticking to the dough without the addition of extra flour.
• Roll the dough out into a large circle that is approximately 1/4" thick. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap/parchment, then pick up the bottom layer (with the dough still on top) and flip the dough onto the baking sheet. Remove the remaining plastic wrap and discard.
• Put the tomato-shallot mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2" border all around. Fold the edges of the dough up and over onto the tomato mixture.
• Bake the galette until the dough is golden brown and the tomatoes are well cooked, about 30 minutes. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.