Even Easier - Easy as Apple Pie

I haven't finished eating the galette yet, but I still had a ton of apples, so I bought some more pastry and made an apple pie. The apple pie recipe is on the box of the pastry shells, but really you don't need one. You put pastry on the bottom of the pie tin, put spiced apples in the middle, and put another shell on top. Then you cook it for 40 minutes at 425. Then you put it on the window sill and the crows eat it.


The apples were serviced by the apple-peeler corer used for the galette previously, the idea is generally to have thin, bite sized pieces of apple. I mixed them around in this bowl with some cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, along with a little bit of flour, a pinch of salt, and more than the recommended amount of lemon juice. I find more lemon juice to be a good thing, so if you agree, and the recipe you have seems a bit skimpy on the limon, I support your decision to add more.

This time I used an actual lemon, too.



I crimped and poked the top shell as one should, you don't have to poke a little apple shape into the top, but it helps. About 15 minutes in I'm going to give the pie a little skirt to protect the edges from overcooking, leaving the middle to get the loving it needs.

I hope this turns out well, considering all my bragging about how easy it is! Here's the recipe, complete with the skirt recommendation: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?Rid=11187

Oh wait, did I say in 15 minutes? That was half an hour ago... oh NO!


....

Well, the smoke alarm seems skeptical of this spectacle, but actually that looks pretty tasty. Nice golden color (for the most part), and that caramel-y substance leaking out the side there looks promising. I used really good organic sugar, so the prospect of the pie having caramel apple innards is a particularly tasty one. Time will tell.

Apple Galette

A simple recipe; so simple even I can follow it!

First, peel, core, and slice about 7 apples. It helps if you have a medieval torture device handy.


Next, roll out 17 ounces (one package) of puff pastry until about 1/4 inch thin, and cut it into ten 5-inch diameter circles, like I did above. Chill the pastry for half an hour and then neatly brush it with an egg wash made with one egg yolk and 2 teaspoons of water. Be careful not to let the egg wash spill all over the place. If this happens, start over.


Once you've started over and there is no spilled egg wash still clearly visible next to your (clearly) 5 inch circular pastry divots, take a small package of almond paste (not marzipan, the other stuff) and divide it into 10 bits (little balls), and flatten them between sheets of wax paper. Then apply the paste circles to your pastry circles like cheese on a hamburger.


Divide the apple wedges evenly between your ten (not two) pastries, approximately 25 wedges each. Then sprinkle the galettes with lemon juice. If you don't have lemon juice, and are really silly, use organic limeade apparently. I mean, I did, and it was fine.


With pesto pasta in the background (see previous blog entry for instructions on making parsley pesto), spice your galettes liberally. I used freshly ground nutmeg, freshly ground cloves, and pre-ground cinnamon that has been passed down in my family for generations of a brand not sold in stores since the 80s. Fresh cinnamon would also work. Dust your galettes with confectioners sugar. If you like, you could create a caramel sauce for the galettes, but it isn't required (especially if you forgot to buy cream).


Bake at 400 degrees until the pastry is fluffy and flaky in the middle and golden brown around the edges. If you achieved the correct thickness of pastry, this should be 16-18 minutes. If you used limeade instead of lemon juice and also used way too much, the middle might be a little mushy, but still quite tasty.


Serve with the caramel sauce if any and vanilla bean ice cream (yum). Garnish with mint, or, if you just want to take a picture, you can use flat leaf parsley. The color is the main thing for picture taking.

This is a delicious and easy recipe (except for the apple prep, but that's what the device is for), and I highly recommend it. Despite the fact that I am apparently totally inept at contorting puff pastry into 10 5-inch circles (that poor poor galette on the right...), my results were quite yummy and I imagine yours will be even better.