Flaky Butternut Squash Galette

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C with the oven rack in the center.

2. Roast the squash: slice the squash into 1/2 inch/1 cm thick slices, and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and top with the sage leaves. Roast the squash until just-tender, 20 minutes. Cool completely.

3. Make the galette: in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the cream cheese for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the ricotta and whip for 3 minutes more. Scrape the bowl well, and add the crisp sage leaves from when you roasted the squash - use your fingers to crush them into the mixer bowl. Squeeze the garlic from the skins into the bowl too, and add the egg, salt, and pepper and mix on medium speed to combine. Set aside.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry* into a large rectangle (about the size of a half baking sheet - 13 x 18 inches / 33 x 46 cm). Use the rolling pin to gently transfer the pastry to a parchment-lined baking sheet, unfurling the dough, centered on the baking sheet. It’s ok if it’s a little too big at this stage, you’ll eventually fold the edges over!

5. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the center and spread into an even layer, leaving about 1 1/2 inches / 4 cm uncovered all the way around the outside edge. Arrange in an even layer on top (no need to be this precious, but I like to place the pieces that are more crescent shaped (from where the seeds were removed) around the outside edge, and the more half-moon pieces towards the center in rows).

6. Fold the uncovered edges up over themselves, and use your thumbs to firmly press as the edges to make sure they are well sealed. Egg wash the outside edge, and transfer the galette to the oven. Bake until the galette is deeply golden brown and slides back and forth slightly when you gently shake the baking sheet.

7. While the galette is still warm, drizzle with hot honey, and garnish with flaky salt and sage. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Rough Puff Pastry

1. In a medium bowl, stir the flour and salt together to combine. Add the cubes of butter, tossing them through the flour until each individual piece is well coated. Cut the butter into the flour by pressing the pieces between your fingers, flattening them into big shards. As you work, continue to toss the butter through the flour, recoating the shingled pieces. The goal is to flatten each piece of butter only once, leaving the pieces very large (they will get smaller/more dispersed through the process of folding the dough).

2. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the ice water to the well and, using your hands, toss the flour with the water to start to mix the two together (this begins to combine them without creating too much gluten). As the flour begins to hydrate, you can switch to more of a kneading motion—but don’t overdo it, or the dough will be tough. Then add more water, about 1 tablespoon (15 grams) at a time, until the dough is properly hydrated. It should be uniformly combined and hold together easily, but it shouldn’t look totally smooth. Divide the dough in half and form each piece into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. On a lightly floured surface, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch thick (the exact size/shape of the dough doesn’t matter here, just the thickness). Brush off any excess flour with a dry pastry brush, then fold the dough in half. Fold the dough in half again into quarters. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 15 to 30 minutes, until firm.

4. Repeat the previous step three more times: rolling out the dough, folding it, and chilling it each time before continuing. If you work quickly, you can sometimes do two rounds of folds back to back, but if the dough is soft or sticky, don’t rush it.

5. Once the final fold is completed, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and preferably 1 to 2 hours before using.