Hey Dear Friends,
Lately, I've been craving cooler weather, warmed apples and spiced drinks.
The seasons are few here, and for some reason the summer heat is still sticking around. The air is thick from our fires, and the lingering smoke from California. I don't feel depressed but maybe the thought of no rainfall in sight is simply heartbreaking.
And I officially have a love hate relationship with this place called the Arizona Desert.
Instead of full on self wallowing, I bake, and cook and bake and cook some more. To help ease the thoughts, because it isn't that bad, things could be so much worse. I am thankful for the sunshine everyday, the apples to cook, the kiddos in front of me and the dough under my fingernails.
This galette I have for you is originally Alice Waters, although I made it from Claire Ptak's version, and I added a twist to make it my own. I used GF flour blend, Japanese whisky instead of the apple brandy, and unfiltered cider instead of Juice. It tastes delicious and I hope you enjoy it.
PS BTW If you're on the hunt for some good cookbooks, Claire Ptak's The Violet Bakery Cookbook is fantastic, which is where this recipe was originally adapted from. As well as Fanny Singer Always Home.
Stay Safe friends, xo
Nicole
ALICE WATERS GALETTE | RECIPE
COOKS NOTE: You'll need a large half sheet pan (18x13) + Large Parchment paper for this recipe
INGREDIENTS:
FLAKY PASTRY DOUGH
- 140g (1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons ) plus more as needed GF all purpose flour (king arthur blue bag is what I used)
- a pinch of sugar
- 85g (6 tablespoons) of Cold salted grass fed butter cubed
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of ice water
- FOR THE GALETTE
- 4 large apples (pink lady, honeycrisp or both)
- 25g (2 tablespoons salted grass fed butter melted)
- 100g (½ cup sugar)
- FOR THE SAUCE
- the peel and cores from the above apples
- 500g (2 cups) unfiltered apple cider
- 100g (½ cup) sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Japanese whiskey or apple brandy
DIRECTIONS :
For the pastry:
1.Combine the flour, sugar and butter in a large bowl. Use your fingers to gently work the butter into the flour, your fingers will warm so switch to a fork and gently combine, until pea sized abounts form. It's okay to end up with larger chunks than you'd think as this will create a flakey crust. Remember, you don't want to overwork it. Add your cold water to the bowl. Gently, mix with a fork until combined until it looks like a shaggy mess. You should be able to see some chunks of butter. On a clean work surface, dust with flour, pour your dough onto it and gently form into a ball without overworking.
If it's warming, pop into the freezer for 5 min. Onto a clean work surface lined with parchment paper, roll your dough onto the parchment paper into a large circle. About 30cm (12 inches) in diameter. slide the dough onto a large half sheet pan (18x13) with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 30ish min.
2.Peel, quarter and core the apples.Save your core + peels in a separate bowl. Cut the quarters into thin slices, about 3-mm (⅛-inch). Take all of the small end pieces and some of the nicer slices together chop them coarsely. Set aside. The apples will brown don't worry about it as they will disappear when they bake.
Preheat the oven to 355F degrees convection.
3.Take your dough out of the freezer and if it's stiff wait a few min for the dough to slightly soften. Arrange a ring of apples around the dough, leaving a 4cm (1 ½ inches) border. Sprinkle the chopped apples over the ring of apples. Arrange the remaining apples in an appealing pattern, covering and overlapping the entire bottom of dough and apples.
4.Gently, roll the pastry edge up tightly over the ring or apples and brush with melted butter. Drizzle the butter over the apples too. Pinch together any remaining cracks on the dough. Sprinkle the apples with half the sugar. The other half over the pastry edge and the crust. Bake for 45-60 min until golden and bubbling.
5.While the galette bakes, make the sauce. In a saucepan, bring your apple cider to medium heat, add the sugar, cores and peels. Cook for 20 min, stirring occasionally. Strain into a jug, then pour it back into the pan and reduce for another 10 min. Stir in the whisky.
Cool your galette on a wire rack. Serve with vanilla ice cream and drizzle sauce over.