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An overhead shot of a baked French onion galette with three sliced wedges on a piece of parchment paper atop an off-white surface. A spatula is under one of the slices to lift it, and small dishes of salt and pepper sit alongside it.

Cheesy French Onion Galette with Flaky Herb Crust

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: serves 6-8 1x
  • Category: Main Dishes
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: French-inspired, American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Jammy caramelized onions and gooey Gruyère cheese wrapped in a flaky crust studded with fresh herbs – a savory galette with a French onion-inspired twist!

Even though it’s pretty fancy-feeling, there’s no need to be intimidated here. This recipe has 2 key components, and each is simple and a bit more hands-off than you might expect:

  1. Caramelized onions. Here we’re using my tried and true method, which results in onions that are rich, jammy, and finished with a little dry sherry for extra depth.
  2. Homemade crust. This all-butter crust is shatteringly flaky and studded with fresh herbs for extra savory flavor. The food processor does all the work!

Be sure to check out the blog post, above, for lots of prep tips, tricks, and serving suggestions! ♡ Happy cooking!

Ingredients

Scale

for the French onion galette:

  • caramelized onions (below)
  • flaky herbed crust (below)
  • 6 ounces freshly shredded gruyére or cheese of choice, divided
  • egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

for the caramelized onions:

  • 4 large yellow or sweet onions, thinly sliced (approx. 2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (can substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
  • ½ cup dry sherry (see Recipe Notes, below)

for the flaky herbed crust:

  • 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached Organic White All-Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh chives
  • ¼ cup destemmed hardy fresh herbs (fresh rosemary, sage, thyme)
  • 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, diced into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ice water

Instructions

  1. Soften the onions: Add the butter and oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium heat (I use a 4-quart braising pan). Once the butter is melted, add the sliced onions, stirring to coat. Cover the pot. Cook 12-15 minutes, until softened and fragrant. The onions shouldn’t require too much attention at this point, but feel free to uncover and stir occasionally.An overhead shot of softened onions with a wooden spoon in a Staub cocotte atop an off-white surface.
  2. Caramelize the onions: Once softened, uncover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Season the onions with 2 teaspoons kosher salt, stirring to combine. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, fragrant, and deeply browned, 30-45 minutes more. See the Recipe Notes, below, for a few more helpful pointers.An overhead shot of caramelized onions in a cocotte atop an off-white textured surface.
  3. Deglaze the pan: Once the onions are caramelized, stir in the fresh thyme and deglaze the skillet. Slowly pour in the dry sherry, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits formed on the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high to bring the wine to a simmer, then simmer 2-3 minutes or until reduced. Remove from the heat and cool for galette assembly.An overhead shot of caramelized French onions in a cocotte atop a beige surface.
  4. Prepare the flaky herbed crust: Meanwhile, as the onions caramelize, prepare the galette crust. To the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, chives, herbs, and salt. Pulse to combine well. Add the cold butter. Pulse just enough to cut the butter into the flour, aiming for pea-sized pieces of butter – the flour mixture should look similar to coarsely grated parmesan cheese. Pulse in the apple cider vinegar, then pulse in 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time, just until the mixture begins to pull from the side of the bowl – this usually takes 5-6 tablespoons of water.An overhead shot of a flour and butter crust mixture in the bowl of a food processor atop an off-white surface.
  5. Chill the dough: Transfer the flour mixture to a lightly floured surface. Working quickly and carefully, use your hands to press the dough into a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic and transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Dough can be prepped up to 3 days ahead of time.An overhead shot of a disk of herbed dough on an off-white textured surface.
  6. French onion galette assembly: Once the caramelized onions are cooled and the dough is prepped, assemble the galette. Roll out the herbed crust dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper – aim for creating a 14-inch round about ⅛-inch thick. Sprinkle about ⅔ of the cheese over the dough, leaving about 1 inch around the border. Spoon the caramelized onions over the cheese. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, creating a 1-inch crust. Transfer the parchment paper to a baking sheet and set in the refrigerator to chill while the oven preheats.An overhead shot of an assembled French onion galette on a piece of parchment paper atop an off-white surface. A small bowl of shredded gruyere cheese sits alongside it.
  7. Bake the French onion galette: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Once the oven is preheated, remove the galette from the refrigerator. Generously brush the the crust with egg wash. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is deeply browned. About 10 minutes before the galette is ready, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the center and return to the oven to melt.An overhead shot of a baked French onion galette on parchment paper on a baking sheet atop an off-white surface.
  8. Serve: Allow to cool slightly, then slice the French onion galette into 6-8 pieces. Enjoy!An overhead shot of a slice of a cheesy galette alongside mixed greens on a white plate atop an off-white surface. A glass of white wine sits alongside the plate.

Equipment

Notes

Jess’ Tips and Tricks:

  • Dry sherry is a fortified wine with beautifully crisp flavor that helps cut through the richness of caramelly onions. You should be able to find dry sherry easily in the fortified wine section at your favorite wine or liquor shop. Sherry substitutes. ⇢ If you cannot find dry sherry, you can substitute with dry vermouth or dry, unoaked white wine for this recipe. If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, substitute with an equal amount of chicken stock with a splash of apple cider vinegar whisked into it.
  • Tips for perfectly caramelized onions: Caramelizing onions is a pretty hands-off process, but there are a few tricks that will help ensure a perfect result. Monitor the onions pretty closely as the cook and be sure to adjust heat as needed to allow the onions to caramelize slowly and prevent burning. When you stir the onions, try to scrape up any browned bits formed at the bottom of the pan; they’re full of flavor! The closer the onions get to reaching caramelization, the more often you will want to stir to promote even browning and prevent burning. Learn More! ⇢ How to Caramelize Onions.
  • Serving suggestions: I love serving a savory galette alongside a simple, bright and tangy mixed green salad. The freshness of the greens and brightness of the vinaigrette is the perfect way to lighten up the decadent and rich-tasting onion galette.

Make-Ahead Guidance: Since there are a couple of different components involved in this French onion galette recipe, prepping it ahead of time is a great option for weeknight cooking or an effortless date night.

  • Make-Ahead Option #1 – Prep components up to 3 days ahead of time: Prepare both the caramelized onions and flaky herbed crust up to 3 days ahead of time. For the onions: prepare according to Steps 1-3, cool completely, transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For the crust: prepare according to Steps 4-5, wrap tightly in plastic, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. At dinnertime, simply preheat, assemble, and bake according to Steps 6-7.
  • Make-Ahead Option #2 – Assemble the galette for later: Prepare according to Steps 1-6. Wrap the galette tightly in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. At dinnertime, simply preheat, and bake according to Step 7.

Storage and Reheating: Leftover French onion galette will keep, covered well and stored in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days. For best results, reheat in the oven (400 degrees F) until warmed through.

Find it online: https://playswellwithbutter.com/french-onion-galette/