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Saturday, November 08, 2008

Rustic Apple Galette

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Last week I had to make apple galettes for a large party we were working on, so of course I turned to the master Susan Purdy for the recipe. Now you know I love Susan, but must admit sometimes her recipes seem very long and the well-described procedures sometimes seem unnecessary upon first consideration. So I decided I was qualified enough just to take my own shortcuts, and that’s what I did till everything started to fall apart. The dough was sticking and cracking and I made a mess so I went back to the book, followed the instructions exactly, and of course it worked perfectly, or at least a few hundred guests thought so. So there!

Ingredients
1 recipe for flaky pastry (see archives)
3 cups peeled, cored, and sliced, golden delicious apples
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water
2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated Sugar
1/2 cup raspberry or apricot jam

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 425. Prepare your pastry and chill for at least 30 minutes. Prepare the filling. In a large bowl, add the apples, raisins, zest, spices, and nuts. In a small cup, combine the O.J. with the cornstarch and mix till it dissolves, then add to the fruit mixture. Now you are ready to assemble. Here comes the crazy part.

Roll out a piece of tin foil in an 18 inch square, shiny side down on the counter. With your fingernail draw a 17-inch circle. Now draw another circle about 8 inches wide in the middle of that circle. Now butter the inside circle and carefully flour the outside circle. Make the dough into a flat disk and place it on top of the tin foil and roll dough out to the edge of the bigger circle. Now pick the whole thing up — foil and all — and place onto your cookie sheet. With your fingernail again draw a circle 2 inches from the edge into the pastry. Now whisk together the egg and water to make a glaze and brush the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs in the inside circle. Put the fruit mixture, juice and all, into the inside circle. Pat it so it’s flat and even. Now put your hand under the foil and carefully fold the edges over the fruit let the foil help you. Remember, you are going for the rustic look. Brush off any leftover visible flour from the crust. Try to seal any cracks with the egg glaze. Now brush the folded-over pastry with glaze and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bring the foil up around the galette to help capture the juices. Bake for15 minutes at high temperature than reduce heat to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes more, till apples are tender and crust is browned. Let cool on rack and make glaze. Just heat jam with a little water or alcohol and brush on tart. Serve warm with whipped cream. Of course you could do this with any fruit. In Susan’s recipe the apples are nicely paired with cranberries.