Smoked salmon and brie galettes with strawberry lime jam are basically all of the things – salty, creamy, sweet, and tart, all packaged in a flaky and buttery crust. They’re also easier to make than they sound!
Once upon a weekend
I was tinkering in the kitchen and trying to figure out what I would make for breakfast. My husband was not my husband yet. We had recently moved in together, though, and we both share a love of cooking and eating. I had just a little bit of left over smoked salmon, and just a little bit of brie left from when we had company over for one of those pre-baby evenings that involve cocktails and Cards Against Humanity into the wee small hours of morning.
It was one of those lazy mornings.
The kind you have when you don’t have children. The kind where you don’t have to be up by a certain time, or do anything by nap time, or try to figure out the healthiest option for a meal that can be made in 20 minutes or less.
I know I sound a bit nostalgic, here, and in one way I am. Free time is a beautiful thing. Spending long afternoons reading, spending two hours on a Wednesday making dinner – these are all things I enjoy.
But.
You knew there was a but coming right?
I know those days will come back. And I know that when they do, I’ll actually be a bit sad. Just this very morning I was nursing my baby in the predawn not-yet-light morning, and one look at that serene, contented little baby face made me swoon.
Frankly, he is worth a little less reading time, and a little restructuring of the cooking time. And those pre-baby days now seem to me so – empty. Even though I was happy.
And I am happy now. Free time or no!
The Evolution of a Company Friendly Dish
Which brings me back to these smoked salmon and brie galettes, and that pre-baby lazy weekend morning. I decided to take some leftover pastry I had and wrap things in it. I had sort of intended this to be topped with poached eggs, but the eggs would combat the brie, I decided, and since my little eye had spied this leftover brie it HAD to be used.
Which is code for, I had to use it in something because I wanted to eat it, but didn’t want to be selfish and stand there in my pajamas and eat it all by myself.
I worried, though, that this little pastry wrapped leftover pie would be plain without something on it to bring it all together. But hollandaise just seemed wrong. It would be waaaaayyyyy too rich, in my opinion.
But I had some tart jam. I started with a sour cherry jam, but opted instead for some Strawberry Lime jam I had on hand. I now make my own, but that was my first foray into the delicious sweet tart world of such jams.
I drizzled a bit on top, and the result was spectacular. So good, in fact, that it became a go-to company dish, for both breakfast and dinners. I’ve served it to both friends and family, and usually, they’re skeptical.
Until they try it.
Then they’re hooked!
Many even request it for return visits.
It occurs to me, then, that this is how my best dishes evolve. With a little relaxed creativity, and a little scrounging to make what’s on hand work in new and exciting ways.
A Pie By Any Other Name…
Did you know that galette is just a fancy word for a rustic pie?
And did you know that rustic is code word for it doesn’t have to be perfect? Doesn’t have to be perfectly pretty is where I’m at right now y’all, though that said, I adore galettes and DO think they’re pretty.
A galette is basically a free form pie, or a pie that doesn’t have to be baked in a pie pan. Unless you’re in France, where a galette is actually a crepe made of buckwheat. But don’t fall down that rabbit hole now – we’ll go there in a future post!
Baking without a pie pan means less clean up!
I bake my galettes on a regular old baking, or cookie, sheet. I use, for this, my go-to easy flaky butter pie crust recipe, but you could just as easily use store bought crust or pastry.
Size Means Everything
The beauty of these Smoked Salmon and Brie Galettes is that they can easily be scaled to mini, individual, and whole pie portions. In other words, I sometimes make bite size versions of this as an appetizer at parties, individual pie size portions for sit down brunches or dinners, and a whole pie, or whole galette size version for a family style meal.
It’s really up to you. This galette is versatile, and you can make it your own!
Do you have any spur of the moment dishes you’ve created? Tell me all about it in the comments!
Smoked Salmon and Brie Galettes with Strawberry Lime Jam Topping
Ingredients
- 1 Pie Crust Prepared from This Recipe, or Store Bought
- 8 Ounces Smoked Salmon May use more or less depending on personal preference.
- 6 Ounces Brie
- 4 Tablespoons Strawberry Lime or Other Tart Jam I use a sour cherry jam instead of Strawberry Lime if I don't have it on hand.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll out pie crust as if to make a traditional pie.
- Using a small plate or bowl cut a circle out of the pie crust that is about 4 inches in diameter.
- Place about 2-3 ounces of smoked salmon in the center of your 4 inch pie crust round.
- Top it with 2 ounces of brie.
- Fold the sides up over the smoked salmon and brie.
- Place on cookie sheet.
- Repeat with your remaining crust until you have four individual galettes on your cookie sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until pie crust is golden brown and flaky.
- Top each galette with a tablespoon of jam.
- Serve immediately.