Simple Dessert - Apple Galette

I made my first apple galette today. It's like a pie without the pie dish. The pastry goes flat on a baking stone or sheet. Then you add the filling and pull up the sides.

I've seen a number of recipes for this kind of dessert. It seems a little easier than a pie, because of the single crust.

Jonathan or Braeburn apples are a good choice for this recipe, though any good baking apple will do. I like to use apples with a flavor balance between sweet and tart, and texture on the firm side. I taste them, too, because I like to keep the additional sugar to a minimum.

Making a galette might be the best way I've found so far to repurpose a chop platter. Certainly it's a tasty one. Many of these round platters are about 12 inches in diameter, a great size for a galette made with a crust recipe sized for a single crust pie. By the time you fold up the sides of the pastry, the galette will be about 9 inches in diameter.

Serve slices of galette on a salad or dessert plate, about 8 inches in diameter for a generous piece of this rustic dessert. You could choose almost any plate size, depending on the event. A scoop of ice cream goes well, just as it does with pie.

Simple Apple Galette

1 single pie crust, your recipe or a store bought crust
4-5 medium apples
¼ c. white sugar
½ t. cinnamon
Dash of salt
1 T. flour
1 egg
Extra sugar for sprinkling on the crust
2 t. soft butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and slice the apples in a large bowl. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt and flour. Gently toss the apples in this mixture. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with a splash of water.

Spread the crust on your baking stone or sheet. Place the apple filling in the center, leaving 2 or 3 inches of space around the outside edge. Dot with butter. Pull the crust up around the edges toward the center, leaving the center open.

Double check for cracks in the pastry. Patch any that arise, so that the filling doesn't leak while baking.

Use a pastry brush to spread the beaten egg lightly on the exposed crust. Sprinkle with a bit of extra sugar. This will help the crust brown and look pretty.

Bake for 35 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before moving off sheet onto the serving platter.

Tips

Choose a flavorful baking apple that has a firm texture
Taste the apples and adjust the sugar according to sweetness desired
Add a bit of nutmeg if desired

Next Time I Make a Galette

I'm sure I'll make more of these, with different combinations of fruit fillings. The easiest time to make notes about making the next one is right after you've made the latest one. Here's my list:

Use parchment paper underneath the galette to make it easier to move it off the baking stone and onto the serving plate
Select a round platter to allow more space for the galette
Experiment with different mixtures of apples and other seasonal fruits
Practice making my own pastry for the crust

About the photo: Galette shown as baked, on my Hartstone pizza baking stone.