I’m the Johnny Appleseed for Pink Pearl apples because I plant one wherever I go. It’s my good luck tree. If I’ve got a backyard, then I’ve got a Pink Pearl. To me, they are the perfect apple: sweet-tart, great tasting raw, awesome to bake with because they hold their shape and bright fuchsia pink – I did not alter the color you see below!
Galette’s are my rustic go-to dessert for feeding a crowd. I can easily feed 10 with this galette and maybe 12 if I slice the wedges thin (and really, that’s all anybody needs after a big dinner). As far as most desserts go, this is low sugar. It’s the fruit that is the show stopper. Brown sugar and cardamom brown butter are sprinkled/drizzled over top before baking. The crust is a rich and flaky pâte brisée, similar to pie crust but with the addition of an egg yolk.
I think galette’s should be rustic in appearance. Had I not been working on automatic, I wouldn’t have even peeled the apples. I made a crazy quilt design with the slices slightly overlapping the edges. I’ve seen pictures of well manicured galettes where each apple slice is perfectly arranged over the next (as in my old Pink Pearl recipe: Tarte Fin Aux Pommes), but I don’t think you need to go there – unless of course you want to – galettes are meant to be beautifully imperfect.
And if you happen to have a two-year-old hangin’ around and looking for something to do, this is a fun recipe. I know Layla really loves to roll dough out and she enjoys sprinkling sugar over everything and anything. She also helped pick the apples. For the longest time Layla didn’t like apples but the day she helped me harvest was the day she changed her mind about the fruit.
Oh, and another fun thing to do, if you have too many apples sliced up for this recipe and not enough surface space to use them all – throw them in a small sauce pot with a little water and a little of the brown butter and make apple sauce. It’s pretty on yogurt or just by itself and kids love it!
I’m not sure why pink pearls aren’t grown commercially because they are low maintenance and the flavor is superior. Maybe it’s because the growing season is short, about two weeks. Look for them at your farmer’s market… or plant one in your backyard!
Ingredients
- 1 pound pink pearl apples, sliced 1/8th-inch thick and kept together
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 sticks unsalted cold butter (1 cup), cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional, if you want the crust sweetened slightly)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 egg beaten into the water
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 stick salted butter (6 Tablespoons)
- 5-6 green cardamom pods
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 vanilla pod split and scraped
Preheat oven to 375F and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
For the Pâte Brisée: Whisk sugar, salt, and 2 1/2 cups flour in a medium bowl. Add cold cubed butter and rub in with your fingers or use a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 1/2 of egg-water mixture over and mix gently with a fork or finger tips until dough just comes together, add a little more liquid if necessary.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3-4 times (this is a little different in technique than pie crust). Form dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill while preparing apples. Dough can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated.
For the Brown Butter: Place butter in a small saucepan and add scraped vanilla seeds plus the pod, cinnamon and cardamom pods. Begin cooking over medium heat but once it foams turn down to low. When the milk solids have turned a rich dark brown and the butter tastes nutty, then remove and cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
Assembly of Galette: Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rough 14x10" rectangle about 1/8" thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet or use a silpat. Fan apples on top in any creative way you desire, slightly overlapping and leaving a 1 1/2" border. Brush apples with brown butter (I just drizzle it everywhere) and sprinkle with brown sugar. It's okay if the brown sugar clumps in some areas too, this just becomes a really tasty caramel in the oven. Lift edges of dough over apples. You can crimp or tuck and fold edges as desired.
For a shiny crust, beat an egg with 2 Tablespoons water, half-half or cream in a small bowl and brush crust with egg wash towards the last 15 minutes of cooking. Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown, apples are soft, and brown butter caramel is bubbly.
Let cool slightly on baking sheet before slicing. Garnish with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
Looks gorgeous. Layla is a cutie.