Friday, November 23, 2012

Apple Galette


Celebrating my third Thanksgiving here in Pennsylvania, and I can’t say I’m sick of the holiday yet. Or that I’ve run out of novel things to be thankful for. I’m thankful for so much, listing it all would take the rest of my life. So for now, here are the ten things that I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving:

1. A Loving family
2. Friends that care
3. God
4. A good education
5. A bed to sleep on every night
6. A ceiling to sleep under every night
7. Christmas music
8. A six-week long winter break
9. A beating heart and functioning limbs
10. Thanksgiving dinner (and every other meal)!


Thanksgiving comes and goes every year, but I am forever thankful for the company of family and friends. Cheesy I know, but what is Thanksgiving if it doesn’t have some cheese? Oh I know. Cheese-less and quite quite gloomy indeed.


With the pumpkin pie all ready, this holiday I decided to try making a “free-form” apple tart. An apple galette is just a rustic (note: lazy) apple pie made by simply folding the crust to form an edge. As the galette cooked in the oven, the aroma of warm apples filled the kitchen. What a lovely scent for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

Dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
¾ stick butter, softened, cubed
3 ½ tbsp cold water

Filling:
3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp sugar

Directions

1. To make the dough, mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Rub in butter with fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the water, and knead lightly until dough comes together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle. Place dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place sliced apples on dough in a circle 2 inches from the edge.
5. Fold the edge of the dough into the middle, sealing the apples in. Brush melted butter over the apples and dough. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons sugar over the apples and dough edge.
6. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the apples are soft and the dough is lightly brown. Remove from the oven, and cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.