Apple Galette (Martha Stewart)

Apple galette is easier and more forgiving to make than apple pie. No fitting the pastry into the pie plate and no crimping needed, a galette is a free-form dessert that cooks on a baking sheet rather than on a pie plate. This galette has rustic good looks and a delicious flavour that lets the apples shine. Just roll the dough - we use our favourite all-butter pie dough - pile on the sliced apple filling, fold the edges over and put it in the oven. In about an hour, you’ll have a warming dessert to slice and top with vanilla ice cream. It’s a perfect dinner party dessert and elevates any family dinner - here's no meal it wouldn't suit.

The Best Apples for This Galette:
For optimal flavour and texture in this galette, use a combination of two Granny Smith and two Macintosh apples. If you use all Macintosh, they will cook down to mush. If you want to use just one kind of apple, go with all Granny Smiths or Cosmic Crisps (in which case you may need only three, since both varieties tend to be larger).

1 recipe Pâte Brisée
4 tsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 lbs apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½" wedges (~ 6 cups)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¾ tsp. kosher salt, such as Diamond crystal
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Garnish:
coarse or fine sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

For the Dough:
Remove chilled dough from refrigerator, unwrap and place on a lightly floured work surface. Let stand about 10 minutes (to soften slightly). Bang on dough with a rolling pin (to begin flattening and soften a bit more).

Dust top and pin with flour, position pin on center of disk and begin rolling dough away from you. Give disk a quarter-turn and roll again. Continue turning and rolling in this manner until you have a 13" round with an even ⅛" thickness. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate while making filling.

Make Filling:
In a large bowl, combine apples, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon.

Spread filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1½" border. Fold edges of dough up and over apples, leaving most of fruit exposed and overlapping dough as needed. Brush dough with beaten egg; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Bake:
Bake until crust is golden, apples are tender and juices are bubbling in center, 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes. Using a pastry brush, spread some of juices from center of galette over apples.

Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes. Using a large spatula, loosen galette from parchment and move away from any released juices (so it doesn’t stick to parchment as it cools). Slide galette (still on parchment) onto rack and let cool. Serve warm or room temperature.

Makes 10-12 servings.