Gateau de Vully salé (savoury Vully tart)

Gateau de Vully is a speciality from the French-speaking western part of Switzerland. While the sweet version (topped with cream and grated sugar cubes) is more common, after yesterday’s referendum the salty version better suited my mood.

Unable to find an English recipe for a savoury Vully tart online, I had a go at translating a French one with the help of Google Translate. This resulted in a few puzzlers, such as “form a lace around the cake” or “streak the dough with a roulette”, but I forged ahead nevertheless…

There seemed to be too much dough for one tart, at least one that would fit on any of my baking sheets. Worried that it wouldn’t bake properly if it was rolled too thickly, I didn’t use all the dough.

The error in my thinking was revealed soon after popping the tart in the oven. As the dough rose, the cream breached the sides, requiring emergency fortification with the remaining dough and ruining my beautiful “lace edge”.

Were I to make another savoury Vully tart, I’d definitely make two smaller ones – maybe a sweet and a savory…

Gateau de Vully salé (savoury Vully tart)
(serves 6)

For the dough:

• 500g bread flour
• 7g sachet instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 75g butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 250ml milk, warm
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 200ml double cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 150g lardons
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt and instant yeast. Make a well in the centre.
2. Whisk together the butter, milk and egg and pour into the well, and stir to combine.
3. Knead the dough until elastic and smooth.
4. Roll the dough into a large disc, about 1cm thick. Transfer to a baking tray and leave to rise for an hour at room temperature. (Note: Unless you have a large enough baking tray to roll the dough to this thickness, divide it in half and make two tarts.)
5. Fry the lardons until golden, then set aside to cool.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prick the dough all over with a fork, and flute the edges, building them up to form a rim.
7. Whisk together the cream and egg yolk, then spread it across the dough. Sprinkle with the lardons and cumin seeds.
8. Bake the tart for 30-40 minutes, “until a beautiful colour is achieved”.

Family score: 8 out of 10

Tags: bacon, cream, yeast breads