Rustic Apple Galette

I have been wanting to make a rustic fruit galette or free form tart for a long time. Something about the baked fruit, wrapped up in a flaky, browned crust without the perfect edges of a tart pan or pie dish appeals to me alot, but for some reason or another, other desserts always got made instead. Finally, I decided to try my hand at it, armed with a 100% 'would make it again' and 4 fork rated recipe (with a photo!) from one of my most favorite websites, Epicurious.com.

The dough came together very easily and was a perfect consistancy with no additional water added. I use a mandoline or food slicer to get perfectly uniform apple slices, and highly recommend them. I have this one, which is wonderful, and I definitely believe that a good mandoline is an essential tool to have in your kitchen. I had a bit of difficulty rolling out the dough between two pieces of parchment, with it sliding around a lot, but once it rolled out a bit, it became easier. My crust had a bit more overlap than in the recipe picture, but I have always loved that look anyway, so it was perfect. As a tip, I would wait to slice your apples until you put your rolled out crust back in the fridge to chill, to minimize the chance of your apples browning. I had quite a few apple slices left, but they were a delicious snack while I was watching TV, waiting for the galette to be done. The galette was done exactly as timed in the recipe and I have to say that it was just as gorgeous as the picture! I always love that feeling of pride when the things I bake turn out beautifully....it's a great sense of accomplishment, especially when it tastes as good as it looks, which I am told, it did. That's right, I didn't even get a slice after bringing in to work, although I take that as a very big compliment!

This is a simple, homey, and delicious dessert that would be wonderful for breakfast or dessert or any time of day! Enjoy!

Apple Galette

Original recipe can be found here.

For the Galette:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Whole milk

To Make the Galette:

Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and blend just until dough begins to clump together, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Roll out dough between sheets of parchment paper to 1/8-inch-thick round, 14 inches in diameter. Remove top sheet of parchment. Using bottom sheet as aid, transfer dough on parchment to large unrimmed baking sheet. Chill 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine apple slices, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon peel in medium bowl; toss to blend. Spread preserves over crust, leaving 1 1/2-inch plain border. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles atop preserves, overlapping slightly. Using parchment as aid, fold plain crust border up over apples, pinching any cracks in crust. Brush crust with milk. Sprinkle crust edges and apples with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake galette 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until crust is golden, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Slide long thin knife between parchment and galette. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.