Apple Galette with Honey and Cinnamon
A galette is a wonderful, carefree dessert. With only one crust, it’s easier to manage than a conventional pie. Galettes bake quickly and they don’t need to be perfect or crimped or even round. Just casual and free-form—gorgeous in their imperfection. They take to just about any fruit that’s available, but since we’re in apple and pear season, that’s what we’re making. You’ll want to tuck this crust recipe away to use for summer fruits, too.We like to keep the skins on the apples because they’re pretty, and frankly, it’s easier. But if you use a green-skinned apple, or one with a thick skin, you’re going to want to peel. And if you prefer to peel, go right ahead. Peeled or not, the best way to deal with the apples is to cut them in half through the stem end and remove the cores with a melon baller. Then, using a small knife, make v-shaped cuts to remove the stem end and blossom ends. Turn the apple halves cut-side down on the cutting board and slice them about ¼-inch thick.A mixture of apples makes the best galette. Sweet apples like Galas and Fujis work well and have thin skins. Other choices include Jonagold, Jonathan, Empire, and Honeycrisp.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup ice water, mixed with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
For the filling
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Zest of ½ lemon
- Pinch salt
- 3 medium red-skinned apples (about 1½ pounds), peeled if you wish, halved, cored and cut into thin slices (about 5 cups)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut up
- 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or cream
Instructions
For the topping
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, mixed with ¼ teaspoon ground
- cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Make the crust:
- Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse to coarse crumbs. Add the ice water mixture in two or three additions, pulsing until damp curds form. (You may not use all the ice water.) Turn the dough onto a sheet of waxed paper and pull up the edges to form the dough into a cohesive mass.
- Dust the dough very lightly with flour and shape into a 5-inch disk. Wrap in waxed paper and place in a plastic bag. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.
To finish the galette:
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt. Place the apples on top. Set aside.
- On a floured board, roll the dough to a 12- to 13-inch round. A little ragged is fine. Fold it into quarters, brushing off any excess flour. Unfold on the lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle the apples with the honey and lemon juice and toss to mix well. Leaving a 2-inch border, arrange the apple slices on the dough in an overlapping circle. Place the remaining slices in the center. Evenly scrape any of the juices from the bowl over the apples and dot with butter. Fold over and pleat the dough edges around the filling, pressing firmly. Brush the edges with the egg yolk mixture, and sprinkle apples and crust with the spice topping.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. If the crust is getting too brown while baking, loosely cover the galette with a sheet of foil.
- Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Serve warm or cool.
Notes
PHOTO BY MARK LOADER