Apple Almond Galette

This weekend I should have stayed out of the kitchen entirely!
I made a chocolate cookie bar and a cake that both turned out to be such a disaster that I had to toss them both..such a waste of time and money.

I guess I should have known better. Most of my weekend was taken up with painting the ceiling in my back porch. As if that's not chore enough. It's such a lousy job to paint a ceiling! But I wanted to get you at least one new recipe this weekend..oh well. Hey, maybe I could blame it on the moon, right? It hasn't been this close to earth in, what, about twenty years, or something like that. Did you see it? It was spectacular...but I digress.

So, needing to make something that was, first, created from what I had in the house this morning and second, something pretty much foolproof, I chose a rustic Apple Galette. Not too difficult to make. Pie crust, chopped apples, spices...and the best part? It's so good!

I created this version from about three different recipes. I took a little from here, a little from here and a little from here. And came up with this rustic and delicious galette. I streamlined some of the steps to make it as quick and easy as I could. This is a perfect galette for a weekday dessert and pretty enough for company! Just add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

First you want to make the crust so it can chill out in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Once the cold butter pieces are added to the flour, just begin working the butter into the flour til you have small pea size pieces.

Then begin adding in the ice cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork til it begins to come together. Feel it with your fingers to be sure it has enough water but not too much.

Once it comes together, form it into a disc and wrap in plastic and put into the fridge for 30 minutes, at least.

While the dough is chilling, make the apple filling by mixing the sliced and chopped apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.

Roll out the dough to about a 1/4" thickness and spread the warmed apricot jam onto the center going only to within about 2" from the edge.

Then sprinkle the almonds over the jam.

Spread the apple mixture over the almonds, still leaving about 2" aound the edge.

Fold the edges over all around and lightly press the dough into the apples.

Dot the apples with butter and brush a little milk over the edges and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake between 50 and 60 minutes.

Apple Almond Galette
Serves 4-6
Crust:

1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2" pieces

3 1/2 tbsp. ice water

Filling:

4 medium apples, such as Granny Smith or McIntosh

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 cup apricot jam

1 tbsp. milk

raw sugar for sprinkling on dough

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1. Make crust by combining the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

2. Add in the butter pieces and work the mixture together with your fingers til it resembles pieces the size of small peas.( Some pieces will be larger than others).

3. Add in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork. Feel the dough with your fingers to be sure it's not too dry. Add in just enough water so it forms a ball. You may not need all the water. It depends on the weather and how much humidity there is).

4. Once you form a ball, place the ball of dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disc shape. Wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

5. Make the filling while the dough is chilling. Peel, core and slice the apples into thin slices and cut each slice in half.

6. Place the apples in a large bowl and add in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine well.

7. Preheat the oven to 400.

8. Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan just til it begins to melt and become a more spreading consistency. Take off heat and set aside.

9. Roll out the chilled dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to about a 1/4' thickness.

10. Place the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread the apricot jam onto the center, keeping within 2" from the edges.

11. Sprinkle the almonds over the jam, then place the apple mixture on top of the almonds and jam.

12. Fold over the dough edges and press into the apples lightly. Brush the edges with a little milk and with sprinkle raw sugar.

13. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or til the crust is a nice golden color and the apples are soft.

14. Lift galette off the baking sheet with the parchment paper and cool on a wire rack.

The galette is best served warm with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Powdered sagar dusted over the top would also be pretty. Enjoy!