TWO days until December. That’s what I keep telling myself. I have a dry erase calendar next to my computer screen right now. It’s the kind where you write in the date.  It’s supposed to be my “editorial calendar” where I write out what I plan to accomplish in the current month on Shutterbean. You know what month I’m on? SEPTEMBER.

I’m hoping to fill out my new calendar…in December.

The holidays are kinda getting in the way of my regular routine. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. I’m still recovering from Thanksgiving!  If I can conquer Mt. Laundry this week, I’ll be the happiest person alive. So, what do I do when I’m stressed out and barely staying afloat? Make a mess in the kitchen, of course! Baking is my GO-TO savior. Hands down.

This Apple Galette was the product of my pre-Thanksgiving stress.

I stressed baked this Apple Galette and then I stress ate soft vanilla & cinnamon speckled apples nestled in a flaky/buttery crust. My house smelled like sweet, delicious, warm, apple pie….and then I scorned myself for making Mt. Dish Pile in my kitchen. Some things never change…

And we’re off!

First we make the dough since it needs to be chilled.

I adapted this recipe by using my food processor! Put all of the ingredients (minus the water) and PULSE.

You’ll want a coarse mixture. Add a flow of ice water in the dough while you pulse and BOOM. Dough.

Take the dough out and form it into a disc. Wrap the disc up and CHILL.

Now we have the apple component!

Peel & chop the apples. Honeycrisps are my new favorite.

Toss the apples with sugar & cinnamon.

You can see that the apples are left in big chunks. Nice.

We’re gonna cook the apples with butter & a vanilla bean.

All ready to cook!

Once the apples are tender, pull out the vanilla bean and scrape the insides into the apples. STIR.

PIE DOUGH ROLL OUT TIME.

Put the dough on your baking sheet. I lined mine with parchment for easy clean up.

What I like about a galette, is that it’s super forgiving. I didn’t put enough flour on the work surface so some of my dough stuck. WHATEVER. It still tastes good and looks good when I fold it over.

Not perfect…but with a galette it doesn’t have to be!

Brush heavy cream on the crust. NOW BAKE.

And DONE.

Cut into that bad boy.

Cut yourself a slice. Enjoy with a cup of tea. Enjoy with family.

Enjoy while you’re doing all your Christmas Shopping ONLINE during breakfast.

Apple Galette

 

serves 8
recipe adapted from Canal House Cooks Every Day

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 8 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp. vegetable shortening

For the apple filling:

• 8 apples, such as Honeycrisp or Jonagold
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp. salted butter
• 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp. heavy cream

For the crust:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, and salt. Add butter and shortening, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Form the dough into a disc on a floured surface  wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour.

For the apple filling:

Peel and core the apples, then cut them into thick wedges. Put the apples into a large bowl and toss with the sugar and cinnamon. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the vanilla bean, then arrange the apple wedges in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally with a fork, until the apples are tender, about 45 minutes. Scrape the seeds form the vanilla pod into the skillet and spoon the pan juices over the apples. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch round. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and unfurl on a cold pizza stone or a large baking sheet.

Starting in the middle of the dough, arranged the apples in a tight circular pattern to about 3 inches from the edge. Spoon the pan juices over the apples. Fold the edge of the dough over the apples, pleating the dough as you go. Brush the dough with the heavy cream.

Bake until the crust is golden, about 45 minutes. Remove form the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.