By Jodee Weiland

Galettes were originally French pastries that were usually flat and shaped into various freeform shapes.  More often now, we see them in a round or oval shape, but the shape varies from what I’ve seen.

Today just about anywhere in the world, you will see recipes for this pastry crust, which vary in how they are made from a sweet crust to a bread like crust and can hold just about anything from fruits to vegetables and more. When I decided to make my Apple Galette, the Versatile French Pastry We All Love to Eat, I chose to use my pie crust with a touch of cinnamon and a version of my apple pie filling.

This recipe was a lot easier than making an apple pie, but getting the crust edges right proved trickier than I thought.  Since this was the first galette I have ever made, I gave myself permission not to be perfect.  By doing so, I relaxed a little and let myself keep in mind the word freeform, which implies perfection is not a requirement.  That done, I found making this galette a rewarding experience to add to my list of previous cooking experiences.

Apple Galette, the Versatile French Pastry We All Love to Eat!

For the flaky crust:

1 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted whipped butter
3 to 4 tablespoons ice cold water

In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the butter and pulse until the texture is crumbly with the butter in small pieces.  Add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing the mixture as you go.  You may use only three tablespoons of water, but if needed, use more.  Add water until the mixture looks crumbly, but can be formed into a ball in your hands.  Roll out the dough to a 10 inch circle on a lightly floured surface.  When rolled to the right size, fold it in half to make it easier to move to your baking sheet.  I use a pastry sheet with printed circles of various sizes to roll out my dough in order to get it the right size and shape.  Once on the baking sheet, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees while finishing your pie filling.

Apple pie filling:

2 medium apples thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Sprinkle a dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of butter crumbled on top of filling

Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Gently stir this mixture into your apples.  Place the apple slices decoratively on to the crust center leaving about an inch or more to fold over. Cut up the 1 teaspoon of butter and spread it over the top of the apples.  Fold up and over the apple edges, creasing and sealing the crust edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes until the crust turns a lightly brown.  Once done sprinkle a little sugar across the top, then set the galette on a cooling rack for at least one hour before cutting.

My Apple Galette, the Versatile French Pastry We All Love to Eat, turned out delicious, and I know I’ll being baking more galettes in the future.  Now that I have made one, I can’t wait to try more, varying the crusts and the fillings.  The dessert galette I made today is a quick and easy way to capture the flavor of apple pie without the extra work.  You can, also, vary the size, making your galette for less people or more.  I love this idea!  I hope you do, too. Enjoy!