Fall baking season is officially upon us and I couldn’t be more excited! After a long hot summer, the idea of turning my oven on, using warming spices, and working with dough feels truly blissful. This apple galette recipe is the perfect ode to fall and is an absolute joy to make and to eat. I was quite literally jumping around my apartment with excitement after tasting each component and watching the ingredients transform into the finished product!
Galettes are essentially rustic, free-form tarts or pies that are all about the fruit. The flavor of the fruit used in the galette shines through and is usually complimented by just a few ingredients and nestled within a buttery, flaky crust. For this simple apple galette, I wanted to retain a strong sweet and tangy apple flavor and add some subtle savory flavors to balance it out and keep you wanting more.
The crust of the galette is a typical flaky pie dough with a little more oomph. I substituted some of the flour in the dough with toasted ground walnuts and added in a teaspoon a finely chopped fresh rosemary. The dough is beautiful to work with and adds depth of flavor from the subtle nutty notes and herby quality of the rosemary. A thin layer of brown sugar and ground walnuts sits atop the crust, covered by overlapping layers of thinly sliced apples. For this recipe, you should use firm, crisp apples–think honeycrisp, fuji, or gala.
The creme de la creme of this galette is the sugar syrup on top. When I created this recipe, I knew I wanted to create a rosemary infused syrup to glaze the galette with. I just so happened to listen to a podcast where the brilliant Natasha Pickowicz described her perfect apple tart and when I heard about her apple glaze, I was completely sold. I dug up the recipe for her glaze, in which you take the leftover peels and cores from the apples and simmer them with water and sugar (I also added two large sprigs of rosemary), and finish it off with a small bit of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. The resulting syrup is a delightful bright pink color and has the perfect blend of sweetness, tanginess, and concentrated apple flavor.
Okay, enough chit-chat. All this is to say, I really hope you’re running into your kitchen right now to make this rustic apple galette because I had a smile on my face the entire time I made this galette and I hope you do too!
Apple Galette with Rosemary and Walnuts
Course: Pies and tartsDifficulty: Baking session8
servings40
minutes35
minutesThis apple galette has a nutty, flaky crust and spirals of thinly sliced apples brushed with a sweet and tangy apple rosemary syrup. It is the perfect ode to fall and one that needs no topping or accompaniment. The rosemary apple syrup on top was slightly adapted from Natasha Pickowicz.
Ingredients
- For the crust
1 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (25g) toasted, ground walnuts
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp diamond crystal kosher salt (1/4 tsp if using morton kosher or table salt)
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cold
5-6 Tbsp ice water
- For the filling
3 large apples, peeled
2 Tbsp (12g) toasted, ground walnuts
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- For the glaze
Leftover apple peels and cores
2 large sprigs of rosemary
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the dough
- Toast about 1/2 cup of walnuts in a pan over medium low heat until golden and fragrant. This should yield close to the right amount for both the dough and filling once ground. Pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely ground or chop finely (it’s okay if some pieces are a little more coarse). Let cool to room temperature.
- Stir together 25g (1/4 cup) of the ground walnuts with the flour, sugar, rosemary, and salt. Cut half of the stick of butter into cubes and very thinly slice the other half. Place the butter cubes in the flour mixture and break them apart with your hands until the pieces are no larger than the size of a pea. Add the remaining butter and quickly smoosh between your fingers to mix into the flour, leaving some slightly larger pieces.
- Add 5 Tbsp of very cold water to the dough and mix with a fork until the dough starts forming large clumps. You can lightly toss the dough in your hands between your fingers to help distribute the moisture and then place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Gently bring the dough together into a disk, adding a little more water if the dough is too try. Wrap the parchment around tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. It’s fine to refrigerate this for several hours or overnight but you may want to wrap in plastic if refrigerating for more than a couple of hours.
- After the dough has rested, remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. You can lightly beat the dough with a rolling pin if it’s still a little too firm. Roll the dough into a 13-14″ round on the lightly floured parchment paper, rotating the dough as you go to avoid sticking and help ensure an even thickness. Place the parchment with the dough round onto a baking sheet, cover and place in the fridge.
- Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Cut the peeled apples into quarters, remove the core from each piece and slice very thinly. Reserve the peels and core for later.
- In a small dish, mix together the 2 tbsp of ground walnuts with 1 tbsp of brown sugar. Remove the dough round from the fridge and sprinkle in the middle of the pie dough, leaving a 1-1.5-inch border along the edge.
- Arrange the apple slices on top, overlapping with each other and maintaining that border. Once you complete the outer circle, add another circle immediately underneath and if you have extra space, add some small apple slices in the very center.
- Gently fold the crust up and over the apples in sections, making your way around the tart. Some of your sections will overlap a little bit and you can create a nice fold in those areas.
- Brush the melted butter over the apples and on top of the crust and sprinkle 1 Tbsp of sugar over the entire galette, including the crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust is a deep golden brown, rotating once mid-way through.
- Make the glaze
- While the galette is baking, add the peels and cores of the apples to a small saucepan, along with the water, granulated sugar, and rosemary. Bring to a bowl and simmer for at least 15 minutes. You should see the color leave the peels and most of the water will have reduced out.
- Strain the mixture into a small bowl or jar and stir in 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. If the mixture is looking very watery and has not thickened enough, you can add it back onto the stovetop for another few minutes. Once the galette has cooled for about 15 minutes, brush the glaze on top generously. It’s a relatively thin glaze, but you should see the glaze pool on top of the apples and the color lightly transfer over to the galette when brushed on. If you can’t see the glaze at all when brushed, you may need to reduce it more.
- Serve the galette the same day if possible, while the crust is still crisp. You can cover leftovers and leave them out at room temperature.
Notes
- If you prefer, you can substitute the walnuts in the recipe for almonds or almond flour.
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