I do plan to post all of the canning and preserving recipes here for posterity but since I am knee-deep into apple season I thought I would post a simple dessert recipe. Unlike a pie which requires shaping, a galette is a free form pie that is more rustic. Because I use butter in this recipe, expect the crust to not be as silky as a crust made with seed oils or lard. Butter makes it more crumbly but has a lovely taste comparatively.

Essentially, I have based my recipe on this Mixed berry galette recipe but because I wanted something easier, I took some shortcuts. Instead of 8 small galettes, I made one large one. I also adapted it for the stand mixer (can you tell that I am lazy?). Also, keeping with the rustic (read: lazy) theme, I don’t peel my apples. That way, I can whip this recipe up in about 20 minutes of hands-on time.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp fine sea salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp heavy (35%) cream

Add all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of the stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, let the machine run on the lowest setting for 1 minute. Add the butter & continue to let the machine run on low for 1 minute & then switch to 3 until the mixture is well blended and the butter is the consistency of small peas. Add the egg and mix on low until incorporated then add the cream and run the machine until the pastry comes together. Wrap the dough and put in the fridge for ½ hour to let rest.

Filling:

4 cups of chopped apples
¼ cup of brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about ½ of a lemon)
Grated zest from 1 small lemon (about 1 tbsp) – optional (but I like the zing it gives)

Add sugar, cornstarch & zest into a bowl and mix well. Toss in the apples & juice and mix well.

Assembly:

Roll out the crust to about 12 inches in diameter. Remember, this doesn’t have to be perfect so it’s ok if the edges are scraggly. I like to roll out the dough in between a Silpat and a piece of parchment paper with the finished product ended up on the parchment paper. Lift the parchment paper/dough onto a baking tray & center it. Take your apple mixture and pile it into the centre of the dough, leaving at least 2 inches around the outside. The juice from the apple mixture may leak over the dough, don’t worry about it. Start to fold up the edges of the dough around the apple mixture, working your way around the circle until it’s all folded up like a little basket. I find it helpful to lift the parchment paper up & over the apple mix as you work your way around the circle to let gravity help the dough roll over.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.