An apple galette is the perfect fall dessert. With a few ingredients including a touch of cream and sugar, the apples are really the star of the show. Look for sweet apples that hold their shape after baking like Fuji, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp. If you’d like a little more acidity you can mix the apples to include more tart varieties like Granny Smith. Brushing the crust with heavy cream gives the crust a little shine and nice color. If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use milk or a lightly beaten egg to create a similar effect.
Total Time: 2 hours, plus cooling
Prep Time: 50 minutes (includes making and chilling the dough)
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
For the Crust:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ½ large eggs
¼ cup and 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 ½ sticks of cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional)
For the Filling:
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup/50 grams sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3 small to medium-sized apples (such as Fuji, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)
2 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons apricot jam
PREPARATION
Step 1
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or in a large bowl, pulse or mix together flour, sugar and salt. Lightly beat the eggs, then add just enough cream to get to 2/3 cup. Lightly whisk the egg and cream together.
Step 2
Add butter to flour mixture and pulse or use a pastry cutter or your fingers to break up the butter. If using a food processor, do not over-process; you need chickpea-size chunks of butter. Drizzle the egg mixture (up to 3.5 ounces) over the dough and pulse or stir until it just starts to come together but is still mostly large crumbs. Mix in lemon juice and zest if using. Dough should be moist and pliable.
Step 3
Put dough on lightly floured counter and pat it together to make one uniform piece. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
Step 4
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle a bit of flour before rolling the dough out to a 16 to 18-inch round (it can be ragged). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill while preparing the filling.
Step 5
Cut each apple around its core into 4 pieces (peel in strips, so some of the skin is still on the apple), cutting straight down and slightly rotating the apple between cuts, leaving a square core. Discard the core and thinly slice the apple pieces into half-moon shapes. Shingle the apple slices in overlapping rows, leaving a 2-inch border all the way around. Sprinkle the cardamom and cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the apples. Top with the pieces of butter.
Step 6
Lift and press the edges of the dough up over the fruit, folding as necessary. Brush the crust with the remaining heavy cream and egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar.
Step 7
Bake the apple galette until the crust is deep golden brown and the apples are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the apricot jam and run it through a fine mesh sieve or slotted spoon to remove any large pieces of fruit. Immediately brush the apples lightly with the apricot jam. Let cool slightly before serving.
