I had Gala apples that had been sitting for too long not to eat, so one night when I wanted dessert after dinner, I made an apple and pear galette. I started at 9pm and I didn't realize how much time it would take to peel, core and slice all the apples and pears, so next time I factor in an hour of prep time :) The recipe I found online needed so much tweaking that I will not link to it; so many things needed to be changed that my notes completely covered the print out!
One thing from the recipe that was good was the pastry because I could use only a fork and my fingers without hauling out a machine.
I mixed 1 1/4 C AP Flour, 1 TB Sugar, and 1/4 TSP of sea salt with a fork.
I cut up the 8 TB of chilled butter into cubes on a plate and put it in the refrigerator to make sure the butter would stay cold as I prepared the other ingredients.
After working it into the dry ingredients with a fork, it looked like small pea sized pebbles of butter throughout the flour.
Once I added 1 TB apple cider vinegar and 1/4 C of ice water, I switched from the fork to my hands to form the dough into a flattened ball, which I wrapped in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
As I was peeling, coring, and slicing 10 small apples (mine were about 3" in diameter, so if your are bigger you may use less or omit the pears) and 3 pears. I put the slices into a bowl of water with 1 TB lemon juice (1/2 a lemon) to keep them from browning as I worked. When they were all sliced (your preference for slices, I prefer thin, but no thicker than 1/4"), I drained the water from the fruit slices and placed them in a large nonstick 12" skillet for about 15 minutes to soften the fruit with 1 TB lemon juice, 1/4 TSP of ground cinnamon, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 TB of butter, stirring constantly. Strain the fruit in a colander and allow to cool.
Heat oven to 425 F
Sprinkle your counter or a large board with flour. Take the flattened chilled ball of dough out of plastic wrap from the refrigerator and roll into a circular shape to about 1/8" It does not have to be perfect as this is a rustic tarte. Try to handle as little as possible and move the rolled dough onto a silicone mat or parchment lined large baking sheet (I used a half sheet but it should fit on a quarter sheet pan as well).
Sprinkle the dough with some flour, then thoroughly mix about 1-2 TB of AP flour with the cooled softened fruit slices. The flour will help absorb any juices so that it doesn't run to the bottom of the pastry causing a soggy bottom.
Spoon layer of the fruit slices in the center of the pastry, lightly sprinkle some sugar (no more than 1/4 TSP), then more fruit, then more sugar, until you have used up all your fruit slices. I did about 3 layers. The sugar between the layers will help ensure an even flavor. You may sprinkle cinnamon sugar if you prefer a stronger cinnamon taste. The fruit should be about even all around with a slightly higher center like a small hill.
Gather the edges up by pinching and folding up onto the fruit mound. Mix one whole egg with a fork and brush the mixed egg on the dough. Sprinkle with about 1/4 TSP of sugar on top before baking at 425F for approximately 40 minutes (check at 30 minutes, and see if it is browning too quickly, if so, cover with foil for remaining 10 minutes.
Bake at 425 F for 40 minutes
The end result should serve 6-8, but I understand if you end up eating the whole thing yourself in a day or two ;)
Galette de Pomme et Poire
10 cups of peeled cored, sliced apples mixture of tart varietals works best
1-2 cups peeled cored, sliced pears (if you want to use only apples add 1-2 cups apples to the amount of apples)
1 1/4 Cup AP Flour (plus 1/4 cup for rolling and sprinkling)
1/3 Cup Raw Sugar + 2 TB Sugar
9 TB unsalted butter (if using salted use half of salt in recipe)
1/4 TSP sea salt (use 1/8 TSP if using salted butter)
1 TB apple cider vinegar
1/4 Cup ice water
1 egg
2 TB lemon juice
1/4 TSP ground cinnamon
(or more if you wish to use cinnamon sugar in between apple layers)
