Zhuzhed up Apple Galette
If you need one more Thanksgiving dessert, I’ve got a galette for you. I’ve made the apple galette recipe from Zoë Francois several times over the past few years. It’s simple to make and the layer of almond cream underneath the apples zhuzhes it up quite nicely. During the holidays you can zhuzh her up even more with sugared cranberries on top. About a month ago I had this vision of using pink apples in the galette. Wouldn’t she be pretty in pink? Of course, she would. But I never did come across pink apples in Manzanita. But then when we were in Seattle last month, I had an epiphany! I should pick up some pink apples while in the big city!
Right before we were ready to leave town, I called a few stores within proximity of my son’s condo to ask if they had such a variety. On my second call, I hit the jackpot. The gentleman at PCC Market said they had just received a shipment of Mountain Rose apples. Please, I asked my husband, could we make a slight detour in Seattle traffic where there’s no place to park cause it just happens to be in proximity of the Sunday Fremont market? The short story is I procured the apples, but for some reason my hubby was not as happy about it as I was.
Apple Galette 2024 with Mountain Rose Apples and Cranberries.
I realized that I’d written about this galette the first time I made it back in the fall of 2022. That time I used Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples. Disappointingly, the Granny Smith turned a funny color when baked. Live and learn. Since then, I’ve used Honeycrisp and they never disappoint. Below pictured left to right, the Granny Smith “fail” but the slivered almonds and pearl sugar were nice. The middle one is so perfectly round (thank you, thank you) which I love - I think this one had a cream cheese pie crust;, and on the right is contestant #3, apple cranberry galette Christmas 2023.
This year I wanted to use the Mountain Rose apples, which are sweet and crisp but definitely tart. They are said to have a flavor reminiscent of pink lemonade, but I’m not sure I’d get that without seeing the suggestive pink hue inside. Mountain Rose apples are grown in Oregon in the Hood River Valley at a small orchard called Kiyokawa Family Orchards. Harvested in October, the Mountain Rose apples must remain on the tree longer to fully develop their sweetness.
I’m embarrassed to say that after I just had to have these apples (that I overheard my husband telling someone he drove 600 miles for), they sat in my fridge in a bag that said “do not eat” for several weeks. Silly me. Then last week I was thinking about Thanksgiving pies and decided to make and freeze my pie dough in advance. This time I used Erin Jeanne McDowell’s All Buttah Pie Dough recipe. She is the “queen of pie” for sure. Check out her YouTube channel Happy Baking. Her book, aptly named The Book on Pie, is a must have for all pie lovers. In her book she covers the basics and goes through a variety of different crusts, including a gluten free pie crust, cause pie is for everyone. She’s my pie hero. Erin swears by Cosmic Crisp apples in cause you’re wondering.
After making my pie dough, I couldn’t wait until Thanksgiving to eat pie. An easy weeknight galette pre-Thanksgiving was the solution. (And today I’ll be making more pie dough!)
Zoë Francois Apple Almond Galette with Cranberries
Ingredients:
1 pie dough round, chilled (i.e., All Buttah Pie Dough or your crust of choice)
Almond Cream Filling
4 oz. almond paste
2 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
3-5 apples (tart, crisp apples that hold their shape)
Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
2 tbsp sugar for sprinkling over top
Directions:
Roll chilled pie dough out to an approximate 14-inch rough circle (about 1/8” thick). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Mix the almond cream ingredients together in a small food processor (or hand mixer) until well blended. Spread the almond paste mixture on top of the dough, leaving about 2” all around the outside.
Slice the apples. Note the recipe calls for 5 apples. Maybe I’m supposed to fill it more, but I’ve never used more than 3 apples. I guess it depends on your apple-to-crust ratio preference. The important thing is to thinly slice the apples. You can use a mandolin or food processor, but I found it’s easy enough to slice by hand. Once sliced, place your apples in an overlapping, decorative manner, covering the circle of almond paste.
Then fold over the dough, crimping it to seal it. Remember this can be rustic. That’s the beauty of a galette. Now put the galette in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees..
When ready to bake, brush the crust with egg wash (or cream works too), sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake an additional 20-25 minutes. Check on it part way and tent with foil if you think it’s getting too brown. You can stick a knife into the apples to test for your preferred level of firmness. Put baking sheet on wire rack to cool.
Sugared Cranberries
While the galette is baking, make your cranberries. Zoë coats the cranberries in egg whites and then rolls in sugar. My preferred method is to make a sugar syrup with equal parts sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in cranberries until well coated. Let sit for 5 minutes or so and then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a wire rack. Roll cranberries in sugar until well coated and let dry on rack for at least 1 hour.
I was quite pleased with the pinkish-red hue of the apples and cranberries. Fa la la la la.
Transfer your beautiful zhuzhed-up galette to a serving plate or cake pedestal and top with a handful of the cranberries. Ice cream is optional but almost always a good idea. Get ready for oohs and ahhs around the table.
This is such a festive dessert for Thanksgiving or anytime during the holidays. Enjoy!