Apple Galette

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How is it November already?? You know the saying, “the days are long, but the years are short?” Well it feels like the days are short, and the years are shorter. Granted I don’t have any kids waking me up at all hours of the night, so maybe I can’t apply this phrase to my life. These past weeks have been filled with work, work, and more work. And the time that I do have off seems to be gone in the blink of an eye. Today is my one day off in this 7 day week, and the accumulation of the emotional stress from the past couple weeks seems to have caught up with me this morning – I slept into until 10 AM! It wasn’t a, “ah my alarm is going off, let me keep hitting snooze kind of morning.” No, it was a “my subconscious self somehow turned off my alarm without me waking up and slept like a rock until 10.”

I’m the kind of person that HATES sleeping in. You may be thinking, “omg who are you?? Who hates sleeping in, you weirdo?” But I do. I love sipping on my coffee during the stillness and quiet of the morning, relishing in the joy of a fresh start that a morning brings. Morning is when I am my most productive, and my favorite time to work out. I’m not a singer, but if I were I would be the neighbor from Friends singing the Morning song. But when I sleep in I feel gross, out of whack, and like I have missed the day. Anyone else out there like me??

Anyways, like I started to say at the start, I can’t believe it’s November already. It’s snowed twice here in the past week and temperatures have dropped to 30s and 40s. I broke out my running pants and long sleeves today, and am hoping the wool socks and gaiter won’t make their debut any time soon. But with this colder weather comes my favorite aspect – the coziness! I’m currently wearing fuzzy socks, bundled under my duvet, with a Trader Joe’s pumpkin vanilla candle burning, and Christmas music playing (don’t tell my husband). And what better way to cultivate a cozy home than by filling it with the delicious smell of an apple galette baking in the oven.

If you’ve never heard of a galette, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. When I was baking this galette, and the cinnamon-nutmeg-buttery aroma greeted my husband when he came home, he excitedly inquired about what I was making. “An apple galette,” I said. And with a confused face he said, “The best a man can get?”. Hahah, no! A galette (not a Gillette) is a freeform, crusty cake of pastry. It can be sweet or savory – being filled with anything ranging from sweet blueberries to butternut squash. This freedom of creativity is what I love about a galette, not to mention how much easier it is to make than a pie. So go ahead, make this dessert for a cozy night in! And of course it’s best served with ice cream!

Note: With this apple galette, I like using 2-3 different types of apples. There are numerous different types of apples, each offering a different quality. Braeburns and Granny Smiths stay firm when baked, making a great bottom layer. The sweetness of Gala and Golden apples make for a great middle layer. And for the top, Jonathan and McIntoshe apples are soft and practically melt into the other layers. For this galette, I chose 2 Braeburn apples and 1 McIntoshe apple.

Apple Galette

Prep time:

Bake time:

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour, divided
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  • 6 Tablespoons ice water
  • 3 medium apples, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, tiny cubes
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Turbinado sugar

Instructions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cups flour, granulated sugar, and salt.
  2. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs.
  3. Mix in the ice water until the mixture just comes together.
  4. Form the dough into a circle and flatten into a thick disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  5. In a medium bowl, toss together the apples, 1/4 cup flour, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Make sure the apples are well coated. (Hint: check the note in the intro above to help determine which types of apples to use)
  6. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
  7. On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to a 12" diameter with 1/8" thickness. Transfer the dough to the pre-lined baking sheet.
  8. Arrange the apples in the center, leaving a 1-2" border. Gently fold the pastry edges over the apples, and gently press the edges to seal them.
  9. Cut the 2 Tablespoons of butter into tiny cubes, and evenly distribute on top of the filling.
  10. Brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg, then sprinkle the edges with turbinado sugar.
  11. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden.