Mama Martyr

It’s always the same.

Six am Saturday: he’s the one slumping on the couch with them, cheering on our hockey boys for the 9,000^th time.

• I’m the one burrowing in bed, trying to reclaim the sleep that I lost to a late-night cleaning spree.

Sunday afternoons: he’s the one on the floor piecing together the Lego Enterprise while they dig out the miniature light sabres.

• I’m the one folding child-sized baseball jerseys into neat piles on the couch nearby.

Snowstorms, same drill: he’s the one packing down the fort while they stock the snowball arsenal.

• I’m the one stirring cocoa and chucking the mittens into the dryer.

Yesterday, at dinnertime: he’s the one who drags them outside in the downpour, shoeless and shrieking in the puddles.

•  I’m the one inside, shutting the windows and checking on the galette.

Some days, I am family dance captain, dough project manager, and Scrabble master. Some days, I am the fun one, cracking fart jokes and reworking the lyrics to the Black Eyed Peas song on the fly. But most days, I’m simply the one keeping pace in the background, a steady quiet drumbeat behind their dad’s trumpeting adventures.

And this is why it works. Every family needs an instigator, the one who is the first to blow the milk bubbles or squirt water through his teeth. And every family needs a heavy: the one who puts up with the antics; the one who mops up the messes and the one who makes sure the galette turns golden brown in time.

Oh that galette. Such lovely compensation. And such a celebration of life well lived.

______

This pie was a breeze to create. The dough takes about five minutes to assemble (recipe, contributed by Flo Braker, here), and then you've got a tabula rasa on which to place your toppings. For this gorgeous pie, I used a little ricotta and mozzarella from the incomparable Liuzzi cheese, and some "gourmet tomatoes" that were purchased at Stop and Shop supermarket, of all places. (Tomatoes aren't really in season in our neck of the woods, so my choices were limited. I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite their dubious provenance, these tomatoes were  delightfully fresh.) Once you've assembled your pie, bake it for 25-35 minutes on 400 degrees F, or until it is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

This galette was simple and elegant -- very Ina Garten in the Hamptons. It will definitely make further appearances this summer, when tomato season officially arrives. For more ideas and beautiful photos, be sure to visit other Tuesdays with Dorie bloggers.