I had approximately an hour and a half before my friend Mary was stopping by for a Happy Birthday glass of champagne. I just looked at this recipe the day before and had all the ingredients in the house, so this made for a perfect impromptu happy (birthday) hour. Time did not allow me to make a home-made crust so I turned to the frozen pre-made version. However, I would highly recommend making your own if time allows. The apples are tart, moist and richly perfumed and the apricot jam adds a sweet accent. Call it a dessert or an appetizer… either application yields an impressive result! Today, I’m calling it amazing paired with blue cheese and thyme.
Apple Galette (adapted from Bon Appetit)
Crust
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, chilled unsalted, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons (or more) ice water
Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and blend, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and blend just until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Roll out dough between sheets of parchment paper to 1/8 inch thick round, 14 inches in diameter. Transfer dough on parchment paper to baking sheet. Chill 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Topping
1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Whole milk
Combine apples, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon peel in medium bowl and blend. Spread preserves over crust, leaving 1 1/2 inch plain border. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles on top of preserves, overlapping slices. Fold plain crust border up over apples, pinching edges. Brush crust with milk. Sprinkle crust edges and apples with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake galette 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I garnished the plate with thyme and sprinkled a few leaves on the galette. Serve with blue cheese wedges. Add champagne and Happy Birthday to ….. ME!!
