Even though the summer months are beautiful here on Long Island; what with the beaches, marinas and outdoor activities to enjoy…
With the coming of Fall, a whole new world of enjoyment opens up to us; with the dip in temperature, the lessening of all that humidity and the multitude of insects disappearing from the air (my personal fave).—what we end up with is some of the very best weather in the area…
Where the cool bay breezes, warm sun filled days and comfortable nights allow you to finally switch out the flip flops, linen pants and beach parties for some long sleeves, evening dresses and dinner parties…
So in honor of my favorite season, and in advance of all of the Halloween hullabaloo, I wanted to share with you another of my favorites—that being my “Rustic Harvest Apple Galette”
Nothing screams Fall better, in my opinion, then a house smelling of baked apples and cinnamon sugar. Easy to make but so fancy in presentation—people will think you worked so much harder then you really had to in creating this simple, rustic French pastry.
So as the seasons change; and everything from your latte’s to your chewing gum becomes Pumpkin and Cinnamon spiced, let’s get down to work on making your next dinner party dessert—trust me, you and it will be a hit at your next Fall get together. Because it is, oh so, “Definitely Delish”
“Rustic Apple Galette“
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups Flour (plus more for dusting)
4-6 Anisette toasts (Stella Dora) crumbled
1/4 cup toasted finely crushed Almonds
10 tablespoons frozen, unsalted Butter
2-3 tablespoons frozen Vegetable Shortening
1/2 teaspoon fine Sea Salt
3-4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup Ice Water
Filling:
4 Apples (your choice, I prefer Rome, Red Delish or Pink Lady)
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup Salted Irish Sweet Cream Butter
3 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean (or 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract)
1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 to 1 ounce of Cognac
1/4 teaspoon fine Sea Salt
Dash of ground Allspice
Other:
Rimmed Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
1 Egg + 1 teaspoon Water (for Egg Wash)
Turbinado Sugar (for sprinkling on crust)
Directions:
Tart Crust:
1. Add all ingredients into a food processor and spin until they form crumbly, course balls of dough. (Adjust flour mixture until crumbly)
2. Dump the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press the dough by hand into a roughly flat circle about 7-8 inches in diameter.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes to cool the dough before rolling. (Make the pie filling while you wait for the dough to cool)
4. Put the dough into the refrigerator if you are not assembling the tart immediately.
Filling:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit; then slice apples using a mandolin, or sharp knife, arranging them on top of the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
2. Brush down apples with fresh squeezed lemon juice and bake in oven for 10-15 minutes-this will concentrate the flavors but also shrink and soften the slices up some as well.
3. While apples roast slightly; place butter in a small saucepan with cognac and scrape in vanilla seeds; add pod(can substitute 1 teaspoon of extract instead if needed). Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns (be careful not to burn), 5–8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and remove pod.
4. Remove the apples from the oven to cool, reduce oven to 375 degrees—then roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rough 14×10” rectangle about 1/8” thick (alternatively, roll out into a 12” round).
5. Transfer to a fresh parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange apples on top, overlapping and leaving a 1½” border.
6. Brush apples with brown butter and sprinkle with dark brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice.
7. Lift edges of dough over apples, tucking and overlapping as needed to keep desired shape.
8. Beat egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl and brush crust with egg wash.
9. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake, rotating once, until apples are soft and juicy and crust is golden brown, 30-40 minutes. 10. Let cool slightly on baking sheet before slicing. Serve with homemade whipped cream or vanilla gelato on the side.
For a Drink Pairing:
1. Try a Moscato d’Asti a low-alcohol, sweet, fizzy wine from Italy that’s filled with notes of fruit blossoms and happiness. It’s delicious with apple desserts and buttery pastry. Look for bottles from Vietti or Barale.
2. Or try a Tawny Port. The raisiny, caramelly flavors in these fortified wines (yep, they’re extra-alcoholic) are a decadent choice for apple pie. For a medium-sweet Portuguese tawny, look for bottles from Quinta do Infantado. For a sweeter, stickier port, try bottles from Australia, like those from R.L. Buller.
