The Weekly Whisk - 10/16/20
Musings from a foodie…
Now…on with the food 😊. Fall brings “apple” season. Suzanne and I argued over whether we should do an “apple pie” or an “apple crisp” when we came upon this recipe for an Apple Galette [ * * * * ]. “Galette” is a Norman word derived from “gale”, meaning "flat cake". Basically, it is the use of dough to create a flattened dessert where the fruit is piled upon the dough and then the edges are rolled up in a free-form fashion to create a container for the fruit. The type of dough is critical and it is a holiday staple in France. The galette came to us from Food52 – a recipe site that I frequent with customization and changes to reflect the “Kevin&Suzanne-ization” of the dessert.
The first focus is on the dough. There are many recipes out there for flaky pie crust. You can pick your favorite one. In addition, it takes time in advance of the apple prep to be ready – or about 2 hours of prep time. The following ingredients are needed for the dough: 3 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 cup (230 grams) very cold butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes (or, 2 sticks), 4 to 8 tablespoons ice water; and 1 cup of Greek yoghurt. Using a food processor quickens the process or you can do it the old-fashioned way using traditional mixing. Once the dough is mixed roll up the dough into a ball and let it sit for about an hour to “chill”. When you are ready to proceed, you can place the dough on a flat surface and – using your hands – press it out onto a flat baking dish.
Peel 5 apples and slice into 1/8-inch slides – any shape you like. Set aside. Pour 1/3 cup of bourbon into a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. We light the bourbon to burn off the alcohol, so you only have the taste. There should be about 2 Tbsp remaining. Stir in 3 Tbsp of butter plus 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and mix together. Let cool. Set aside. Then, lightly flour the dough and place apple sections across the dough in whatever artistic fashion you desire. Leave about 2” of uncovered dough at the edges. Fold the edges of the dough over the edge of the apples. Then, carefully spoon the bourbon-sugar-cinnamon mixture over the apples. Prepare an egg wash and brush on the dough. Sprinkle the top with turbinado (rough cane) sugar. Bake the galette for 38 – 33 minutes at 425o.
