We are directly in the middle of the shoulder season – neither summer nor fall – just trying to survive by putting all the layers on in the morning, and then taking them all back off about two hours later when the day warms up. For us foodies, it’s mix between a desire to turn on the oven and start baking/braising/roasting everything we can get our hands on, and not wanting to give up the delicious tomatoes/peaches/corn that are still thriving in the garden right now.
Over Labor Day weekend we braved the crowds and drove up to an apple orchard in the foothills. It was a fun place to take the kids and check off a couple of to-do’s on everyone’s lists – my oldest wanted to pick an apple from a tree (check!), and my middle kiddo requested apple pie(check! And bonus, mommy didn’t have to make it!!). The daddy unit really didn’t want anything until he saw some apple beer, and then he was quite content to carry the 20 pound (!!) case of apples back to the car for yours truly.
Yes, I said 20 pounds of apples. (see below)
Before you say anything – and to my defense – both of my oldest kiddos eat at least two, if not three apples a day. And, because I’m ready to go into full-fall-baking-mode, any remaining apples are for crisps, crumbles, and this delicious apple galette.
If you haven’t had a galette before, it’s like making the worlds easiest pie. Take your favorite pie dough, roll it out, and then layer whatever tasty bits and bobs that you want in the middle. You fold up the sides of the dough, bake it, and then get to bite into flakey crust and delicious fillings. Galettes can hold both sweet (apple, apricot, blueberry) and savory (mushroom, swiss chard, cheese) fillings and the dough can even take on other personalities with the addition of nuts, seeds, cornmeal, salt, spices, etc.
Because we enjoyed an apple pie at the orchard (and it was SO good!!) I decided to make an apple galette when we got home. Both quick and easy, the kids were super excited to mix the peeled and sliced apples with just a touch of cinnamon and sugar before lining them up on the rolled out dough. We carefully folded over all the corners (one got tweaked but it still tasted delicious!!), brushed some apricot jam over the apples (a trick my dad taught me), and then brushed the crust with egg wash and sprinkled turbinado sugar over the whole thing before placing it into the oven.
The kids were SO excited – running around singing and dancing about all things apple and pie – and then about an hour later….this gorgeous apple galette came floating out of the oven:
Yesssssssss!!!!
We certainly enjoyed this apple galette and if you are in the mood to do some fall baking I would highly recommend making a galette as it only takes 1 hour of oven time so you can get in and out of the kitchen before the day warms up too much.
XO,
Jenn
apple galette
makes about 8 servings
one recipe pie dough (recipe here)
4 apples (use your favorite apple, preferably one on the crispy/tart side; that said, I used gala apples and had no issues)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup apricot jam, thinned with a bit of water to make it spreadable with a brush
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
egg wash – 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk
turbinado sugar
Peel and core the apples. Cut the apples into half, then slice them about 1/4 inch thick. Place the apples into a bowl and sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the apples. Toss everything together, coating the slices as much as possible.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 13 inch round. Transfer the pastry to a large baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. Layer the apples onto the pastry – making a circle or in overlapping rows.  Fold the dough edge up and over the apples to create about a 1 inch crust. Using a pastry brush, spread some apricot jam over the apples – adding as much or as little as you would like, or think you need for the type of apples you are using. Sprinkle the butter pieces over the apples.
Brush the egg wash over the folded dough and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Place the galette into the oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until the pastry is nicely browned and crisp and all of the apples are tender. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the galette cool slightly before slicing.
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