Hocus Pocus Galette

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large beet, cleaned with ends trimmed
• ½ pound asparagus spears, cleaned and trimmed
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt & pepper
• Refrigerated pie crust
• 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
• 1 box puff pastry, thawed
• 3 tablespoons pesto sauce
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 black olives
• ½ cup fresh Mozzarella pearls
• 4 green olives, sliced into thirds
• 1 large yellow tomato, sliced

Equipment:

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cooling rack
• Fondant letter presses

Instructions:

1. Cook beet – In a medium saucepan, cover beet with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for approximately 45 minutes or until tender. Drain water and allow to cool to room temperature. Carefully peel off skin and set aside.
   
   

2. Roast asparagus – In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place asparagus spears on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

3. Prepare pastry letters Roll out pie crust and cut out “Hocus Pocus” in letters using fondant letter presses. Place on a parchment lined baking pan. In a small bowl, whisk egg and water. Baste letters with egg wash. Bake letters at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a baking rack.

4. Prepare crust – On a lightly floured surface, crimp puff pastry sheets together and roll out to a 10×14-inch rectangle. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and fold the edges to make a crust. Lightly prick the surface with a fork. Spread the surface with pesto sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

5. Add toppings – Layer asparagus up the left hand side of the rectangle to form a tree. Allow spears to branch out over the top third of the rectangle. Add one large slice of tomato to the top right hand corner to create a moon. Add Mozzarella pearls along the bottom of the rectangle to create an uneven landscape. Slice the cooked beet. Trim the top off one slice to create a cauldron shape. Place the cauldron atop the Mozzarella pearls. Add sliced green olives to the top of the cauldron look like a frothing green potion coming out of the cauldron. Finally, slice three black olives the long way. Trim the halves to look like bat wings. Cut the ends off three black olives to create bat bodies. Assemble bats on the galette surface. 

6. Bake – Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove from the oven and cool on the cooling rack. Add the pastry letters “Hocus Pocus” over the moon. Cut into squares and serve warm.