When you need to whip up a fast, delicious desert, this free form tart – or galette, is the thing to do. It’s as easy as making a (simple) dough, placing it on a cookie sheet, filling it with a fruit mixture, folding over the edges and baking. Really, its that easy. And you can eat it like a slice of pizza! But fork or spoon also work nicely! The fruit can be piled on for a rustic look, or perfectly placed in concentric circles in a single layer for a more polished look. I love making a galette on the weekend, when I have more time on my hands and using my hands from start to finish. It’s a more sensual baking experience than using all those gadgets and machines (which of course do have their place).
When making a galette you can use a variety of seasonal fruits – apples, berries, peaches, strawberries – there are also savory galettes made with potatoes, mushrooms, and meats. And what makes a galettes so special is the no-fuss buttery, flakey crust. Serve at room temperature, chilled – or my favorite – while still warm with a small scoop of ice-cream or a spritz of whipped cream. Add a cup of coffee or tea – and you’ve got a real home run!
Note: Being a free-form tart, you can make your galettes any size you like. The recipe for the dough is enough to make a 3-4 smaller galettes or two large ones. You can also store half of the dough in the freezer for another time. Just wrap it in a ball in plastic wrap and then place it in the freezer. When you’re ready to make your galette be sure to defrost the dough before using (…just saying. I’ve heard of some pretty crazy things that happen in the kitchen) xoxo
Apple Walnut and Cinnamon Galette
For the pie dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup ice water
For the Fruit Filling:
- 2 green apples peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch think slices (use 4 if making two galettes)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 cup chopped walnuts
- A pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar (added at the very end along the edges of the baked galette)
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. and line a cookie sheet with parchment
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter to the bowl and using your hands blend until the butter is slightly broken up into the flour (pea size pieces)
- Slowly add the water over the flour mixture and blend together with your hands until the mixture starts to come together. Don’t overwork the dough – squeeze the dough with your fingers – it should hold together but not be sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at 60 minutes or overnight.
- In a large bowl, stir together the apples, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and split the dough in the number of galettes you want to make: 3-4 small ones or two larger ones. Remember, you can always freeze some of the dough.
- Using a roller, roll the dough into a round about 1/8 inch thick. Place a dinner plate over the dough and cut out a circle. Move the dough round(s) to the prepared baking sheet with space in-between (if you are making two galettes)
- Place the apple mixture in the center of the galette mounding the fruit slightly (or place the slices in a circular spiral) – in both cases leaving a 1″ – 1 1/2” border.
- Working from the outside – left to right, fold over the dough so it covers 1-2 inches of the filling and continue folding over the dough all around, pleating it loosely to hold apples in place.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender, about 40-50 minutes.
- Gently slide the galette onto a wire rack and let cool for 10-15 minutes
- Sprinkle powered sugar along the edges and serve warm or at room temperature
