Rustic Apple Galette

This rustic apple galette is DELICIOUS!  And now that I have your attention let me say that this rustic apple galette is also SO EASY ANYONE CAN MAKE IT.  I’m not pulling your leg.  This is a seriously simple, amazingly flaky, moist, and fruity alternative to pie that requires no specialized technique at all.  And unlike a pie, where the filling is poured with the intent of creating a thick slice of deliciousness, a galette is more of a free-form tart.  A thin slice packs a mouthful of goodness in a diminutive package.  I just love it!

Matthew, bless his heart, has been an apple pie guy ever since he was old enough to string together the two words, apple and pie, hoping someone (anyone) would get him a slice.  So, I’ve made my baby lots of apple pies over the years.  But sometimes, the sugar, cinnamon, and sheer volume are a little more than I want to tackle.  There are times, after a savory meal, or with an afternoon tea or coffee, that I want something light and fruity, sweet and tart.  Today’s apple galette delivers every time.

let’s make this delicious and easy rustic apple galette

Can you believe that this little bit of nothing can produce something so stunning?    Common, everyday ingredients that come together like nobody’s business.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found on Epicurious.com several years ago.  I’ve played a bit with it and have made slight modifications, but the basic recipe stands.  Most of my adaptations revolved around making the fruit filling a little more luscious, a little moister.  But the crust is the original.  And boy oh boy, you are gonna love this crust!

Add the flour and salt into a food processor and pulse it really quickly to mix the two.

Then cut the butter into 1/4-inch tabs and spread them across the top of the flour.  Use the pulse setting on and off to mix the butter into the flour.  Stop when the flour starts to clump together in crumbly chunks.

Then add the ice water.  Again, use the pulse setting to mix it.  You want the moistened flour and butter mixture to clump up into solid sections.  If, after the 2 tablespoon of ice water it is not clumping, add a tablespoon more at a time until it does.  Again, use the pulse setting because you don’t want to over-mix the dough and make it tough.

Once the consistency is right, pour out the dough ball and form it into a disk.  Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  You can make this a couple of days in advance.  Just be sure to let it sit outside the refrigerator for a bit before you start rolling the dough flat.

While the dough is chilling, wash a lemon and zest it for about a 1/4 teaspoon of lemon peel. Then squeeze the lemon into a measuring cup and add the zest.

Next, wash and cut three Granny Smith apples into thin slices, discarding the cores.  I like to use a mandoline slicer because it is fast and makes the slices equally thin.  I cut the apple into quarters, carve out the cores, and slice each quarter, skin on, with the mandoline slicer.  After each apple is cut and sliced, add some of the lemon juice and zest mixture to keep the apple slices from browning.  Set the apples aside for now, but come back every now and then to toss them in the lemon juice so that everything is well coated in citric acid to prevent browning.

Once the dough has been chilled and set on the counter for about 5 minutes, place it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thickness.

Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and brush the apricot preserves up to 1 inch of the edge of the crust.

Then pour out any excess lemon juice from the sliced apples and add the sugar a bit at a time.  Toss between each addition of sugar to ensure all the slices are well covered.

Starting in the center of the coated crust, layer the apple slices in overlapping concentric circles up to the 1-inch border.

Next, fold the parchment paper along the edges of the tart to fold the 1-inch crust over the apples.   Fold a section at a time and crease the dough before folding the next section.

Don’t sweat making it perfect.  Remember, this is a “rustic” apple galette.

Brush the dough edges with a beaten egg and sprinkle both the apples and the crust with turbinado sugar.

Here’s a tip; either place a cookie sheet on the oven rack below the galette, or line it with tin foil.  Sometimes they leak a bit, so save yourself the cleaning nightmare.

I like to bake it on a pizza stone so that it is easy to slide the finished galette onto the serving platter.

Bake for 20 minutes at 450°F, then for another 25 – 30 minutes at 375° F to brown the crust.

Once the crust is nice and browned and the apples are tender, pull out the galette and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat up one tablespoon of the apricot preserves with 1/4 cup of water until you have a syrupy mixture.

Gently brush the apricot syrup over the apples before serving.

What a little slice of heaven!  All that butter sure shines through, because the crust is so light and flaky that it melts in your mouth.

The tartness of the apples and lemon juice, perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the sugar and the backdrop of the apricot preserves.  Gosh, I had fun eating this slice!  So, I know you’ll love it too!  Give it a try.  It really is SO easy and totally worth the time!

Rustic Apple Galette

Lori

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Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 50 mins

Total Time 1 hr 50 mins

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• FOR THE CRUST
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter 1 1/2 sticks, chilled
• 2 tablespoons or more of iced water
• FOR THE FILLING
• 3 Granny Smith apples sliced thinly
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 lemon juiced
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon apricot preserves
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

 

• In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt to mix.
• Add the butter, cut into 1/4-inch tabs.
• Pulse until the mixture forms into pea-sized clusters.
• Add the water and pulse until the dough starts to come together. If crumbly, add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing between additions, until the dough starts to come together.
• Roll the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• While the dough is chilling, combine the lemon zest and juice in a measuring cup.
• Then slice one apple, with the skin on. A mandoline slicer can make this process easier.
• Add 1/3 of the juice and zest mixture to the apple slices and toss well to prevent the apples from oxidizing and turning brown.
• Continue until all apples as sliced.
• Preheat the oven to 450° F and place a cookie sheet or tin foil in the rack below the center rack.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch in thickness between two sheets of parchment paper.
• Remove the top sheet of parchment paper.
• Brush 1/4 cup of the apricot preserves to 1 inch of the edge of the crust.
• Drain any excess lemon juice from the apples, then add the sugar 1/3 at a time, tossing well between additions.
• Starting in the center of the crust, layer the apple slices in an overlapping concentric circle up to the 1 inch edge.
• Use the parchment paper as a guide to fold the 1-inch lip of the crust over the apples a section at a time, creasing the crust after each section.
• Pinch closed any cracks in the dough.
• Brush the dough with the beaten egg.
• Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the apples and the crust.
• Slide the galette with the parchment paper onto a pizza stone and place on the center rack of the oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the oven to 375° F and bake for 25-30 minutes more or until the crust is a dark golden brown.
• Let stand for 10.
• Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the apricot preserves with the water until a syrup is formed.
• Before serving, brush the syrup over the apples until they are glossy and moistened. You will not likely use all the syrup or the galette will be too soggy.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.