Apple Galette

Desserts get in my head in two different ways; first, they are amazing and I think about them a lot; second, they can own you and send you into a tailspin. Ian, fortunately and unfortunately, has witnessed me in both states. When asked to make a dessert for a get together I have a routine: frantically search through every baking book I own, scour the internet for more recipes and, finally, settle on a recipe that is part from a cookbook and part from the internet. This can at times lead to trouble, but in this instance it worked out great. Enter the apple galette.

The first idea was to make little apple tartlettes, then I thought I would make a pie, but instead ended up with a galette. They are rustic and with the fragrant apples this time of year it really felt like a special fall treat. I should give some credit to Ian for his willingness to chop all the apples (excellent work seen above). Cutting the apples is the most time consuming part, once that is done you just lay them in a ring in the center and fold the edges over and voila!

The recipe was from none other than Smitten Kitchen. She really gives the best instructions and lays it out for you in the simplest way. I used my favorite pie crust instead for this recipe from The Art & Soul of Baking and skipped the apple glaze she uses to finish it off. Also, it calls for five tablespoons of sugar to be sprinkled on the top. No. That is way too much and the apples were already plenty sweet. I used about two and I thought it was perfect. I think next time I would throw in some cinnamon or allspice to really make it feel warm and cozy. This was such a perfect welcome to fall dessert!