I first made this pie for a small dinner party for my friend Liliana and her family when my own family was in town visiting. It was late summer, so I made a free-form pie with lots of cherry tomatoes and covered them with soft cheese. The cheese melts into the tomatoes, the two meldings into one incredible flavor. We crunched away at flaky slices under twinkly lights and this pie earned a special place in my heart and memory.

Ingredients:

Filling

907 g / 2 pounds cherry tomatoes, such as Sweetie or Cherry Bomb
30 g / 6 large cloves garlic, unpeeled, smashed with the side of a knife
45 g / 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 g / 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus a few sprigs for garnish
3 g / 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus a few sprigs for garnish
4 g / 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 g / 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
50 g / 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for finishing
340 g / 12 ounces Brie, Camembert, or other soft-rind creamy cheese, cut into 1-inch / 2.5-cm
thick slices
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon cream or milk for Egg Wash

Pastry

For this recipe, you can use the Rough Puff Pastry recipe from our Ratatouille Galette, shaped into a single disk and chilled, or your favorite pie dough, prepared as for Rough Puff Pastry, shaped into a disk, and chilled.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C.

Spread the tomatoes and garlic out on an unlined baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and toss well to coat. Sprinkle the rosemary and thyme evenly over the tomatoes, then season with salt and pepper. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the tomatoes are blistered and collapsed 25 to 30 minutes. Let the tomatoes cool completely. Raise the oven temperature to 425°F / 220°C.

While the tomatoes cool, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a square a little large than 15 by 15 inches / 38 by 38 cm and about ¼ inch / 3 mm thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet (don’t worry if it hangs over the edges of the pan for now—you will be folding the edges over) and dock it all over with a fork.

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin into a small bowl and use a fork to mash it with the Parmesan. Spread the mixture onto the dough, leaving at least 2 inches / 5 cm uncovered around the edges. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on the dough, again leaving the edges uncovered. Scatter the cheese evenly over the tomatoes. Fold the uncovered edges of the dough up over the tomatoes, encasing the perimeter of the filling.

Brush egg wash over the edges of the dough and sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top.

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the pie until the crust is evenly golden brown and very crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow the galette to cool for 15 minutes before serving, garnished with the rosemary and thyme sprigs.

Make ahead and storage:

This pie is best eaten the day it’s made. Store leftovers at room temperature wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.