Apple Galettes
From my Instagram:
Apples, caramel, and homemade whipped cream 🍏🍎🍏 Nothing sounds better suited to a fall day than these. These apple galettes are perfect when you’re craving an apple pie but none of the fuss.
Because I’m indecisive, I made two variations. Both recipes start with a basic pie dough and peeled and sliced apples. I used pink ladies for both. I would recommend grating very cold butter into the flour for an easier incorporation instead of cutting chunks in. The dough will come out flakier and less dense. I didn’t grate my butter for this dessert, but used that method for a later one and it turned out beautifully.
Let’s talk flavors. First off, add more maple syrup to the whipped cream than called for. I think I used at least 6 tablespoons before I could taste it. I also preferred the apple preparation from Williams Sonoma over the Bon Appétit version. I felt like coating the apples in the lemon juice and spices before layering them gave the galette more depth and flavor than just brushing them with the brown butter. If I made this again, I would also use the egg wash on both doughs; I left the individual galettes in longer than I should have because the crust was not browning, so I ended up over-baking them.
Now for the caramel...I threw 3 attempts in the trash due to crystallization. I recommend adding a tablespoon of corn syrup to the sugar and water before heating it, and keeping the lid on the pot longer than you think you need to. Also, don’t swirl the pot because sugar will splash on the sides which will then crystallize and start the process for the rest of your caramel. Patience is important when making caramel, but really, you just gotta pray that it’ll caramelize before it crystallizes. And if all else fails, store-bought caramel is good too.
The difference in these two bakes are amazing…the left-most picture is my first attempt at galettes and the middle and right are the results of my most recent bake. Even with the differences in camera angle and lighting, you can tell the second batch just looks so much better than the first. My first batch looks heavy, dense, under-baked in color. The second batch is golden brown, flaky, crisp but light.
I’ve never had a professionally baked galette so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. I feel like my first time around, the pastry was overbaked. It was really thick and almost rock hard. The individual-sized galettes didn’t have any color on them and they really just looked sad.
Because this recipe was such a failure the first time around, I decided to bake them again this year. I only baked the William’s Sonoma recipe the second time around. I grated the butter into the dough and I rolled the crust much much thinner this time than the last, which resulted in larger galettes. This meant that I had to bake them on two separate trays. You could bake them one at a time, but I put them both in, and flipped the trays around halfway through. Also, don’t forget your egg wash! It really helps develop a beautiful golden brown color, and you also won’t be tempted to overbake them. For the apples, I used apple pie spice and also added a 1/2 tsp of vanilla bean paste. Even though the recipe calls for peeling the apples, I didn’t and I don’t think it made that big of a difference. Work smarter, not harder. I think they turned out just fine with the peels on, but if you prefer them peeled, then that works as well.
I used this caramel recipe since I didn’t have any heavy cream on hand, and it turned out perfect the first time trying! It’s very similar to the Williams Sonoma caramel recipe, with just a few variations on measurements. I added a capful of rum extract, just to keep the integrity of the original recipe, and it turned out so delicious. I’m super happy I decided to remake this recipe. The crust was so light, flaky, and buttery this time around and the overall presentation of the dessert was much better. It’s such a fun fall dessert and it looks beautiful too. I highly recommend you try this one out.
Original Recipe by: Bon Appétit
Original Recipe by: Williams Sonoma