Joy of the Puddle - Balti Pumpkin Galette

The joys of childhood are simple and boundless. Watching Poet and Flower discover things for the first time has helped me see the world in a different light. As a photographer, I'm always trying to look out at our world (and particularly food) from a different lens or perspective. Poet and Flower do the same daily. Sharing in their joy is a unique pleasure..

Our home sits on a hill, and our backyard slopes ever so slightly. Our lily patch, an explosion In the summer, our lily patch is an explosion of color. But, on rainy days, it becomes a giant cranberry bog. It fills with at least a foot of water that slowly sits like a lake. Poet and Flower love it. Poet runs outside and stomps in the water, splashing with glee. Sometimes he will come in with boots filled to the brim with water and pour it on on the back porch. Sometimes he ditches the boots altogether. I think finding the sloshing water and slippery mud is even more enticing. The kids have even tried to turn their winter sled into a rowboat, but they could not get the sled to float. I've tried to capture those moments on film, but they are fleeting. Stomping in puddles and running around are moments that I won't soon forget.

Slowly I've come to enjoy the joys of baking. I love squashing the butter into flattened pats in the flour and then slowly kneading the dough until it comes together. A few simple iSlowly Slowly I've come to enjoy the joys of baking. It, too, has its unique pleasures. I love squashing and squishing the butter into flattened pats in the flour and then slowly kneading the dough until it comes together. A few simple ingredients are all that are needed to make a crispy, flaky creation. I've become a little obsessed with making pies and pie dough lately. And I've been slowly working on perfecting a galette. A galette, French for a free form tart, offers endless possibilities. Instead of using a pie pan and the structure that comes with it, a galette is slowly topped with either sweet or savory fillings, and then the dough is gently folded over on the edges and baked. Its rustic elegance is what makes it so enticing.

My mom loved to make Balti pumpkin as a kid. It is a delicious spiced pumpkin dish with black onion seeds or kalonji, cumin, and tamarind. The spices complement the sweetness of the squash. What better way to celebrate fall than taking balti pumpkin and putting it together with buttery pie dough. Paired with a buttery, flaky crust, it's delicious. The galette is hot, buttery, spicy, and sweet all at the same time.

I love buttery, flaky pie crusts, but I used a little stiffer dough for this galette. For the galette, I increased the amount of flour while keeping the amount of butter constant. This helped give theI love buttery, flaky pie crusts, but I used a little stiffer dough for this galette. I increased the amount of flour while keeping the amount of butter constant. The dough held together better but was still buttery and flaky. The galette can hold on to the filling without turning into a buttery soft mess. I initially used too much butter and ended with a flat, buttery, but delicious galette. (It looked terrible but tasted delicious.) After a few tries, this crust came out the best, buttery but still flaky and held its shape.

We've bought Poet and Flower new raincoats, but I doubt they will get much use. The next time it rains, I might just go out there with them. Perhaps for their birthday, we should get them a rowboat.

Balti Pumpkin Galette

This Indian galette is sweet and spicy. Balti spiced pumpkin is layered on a buttery flaky crust to make a delicious vegetarian dinner.

Serves 4 generously

For the galette dough

• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup iced water
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk

For the balti pumpkin filling

• 16 oz acorn squash, delicata squash or sugar pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon kalonji seeds (black onion)
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons tamarind paste
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces (cut it lengthwise once, then turn it on its side and cut lengthwise again, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.)
3. Add the butter to the flour and turn to coat. Squish the butter into flattened squares. Don't over incorporate it, as the pieces are what give the dough its flakiness.
4. Add in the water and knead until it just comes together. Form into a ball and refridgerate for 30 minutes.
5. In a medium frypan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin, mustard seeds, kalonji seeds and fenugreek seeds. Stir until they sizzle about 30 seconds.
6. Add the pumpkin and stir to combine. Add the turmeric, sugar, tamarind and salt. Stir well.
7. Cover and simmer 15 minutes until soft. It won't be completely cooked through.

8. On a well floured board, roll out the dough until it is about a 11 inch circle. It should be about 1/8 inch thick.

9. Gently mound the squash in the middle, leaving a 2 inch border.

10. Fold the edges over the filling and crimp. It might look a little messy and that is ok.
11. Brush the crust with the egg wash.
12. Bake the galette for 25-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
13. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream.