Apple Time!!!

Thyme Scented Apple Galette

I still have the November 1994 issue of Gourmet with a picture of this beautiful dessert on the cover. I had been making pies and tarts for a while by then, but I hadn't run into the simplest, and easiest, form of tart, the rustic galette. These tarts are just basically French versions of pizza and they can either be sweet or savory. The sweet versions usually involve fresh or dried fruit. While most tart and pie doughs shouldn't be kneaded so that they bake to a flaky or crumbly crust, some galettes, like this one, requires some kneading to develop the gluten. This dough can be used to make a galette with just about any type of fruit, but it works especially well with stone fruit, apples, pears, and fresh figs. I also like to make it with plums or figs, and in those cases I add a bit of wild plum brandy to the wine both for the tossing and the glaze.

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 stick (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoon cold water
4 medium Gala or Empire apples (about 2 pounds)
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup superfine sugar

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup apple jelly
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh thyme sprigs

Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1. In a bowl stir together flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt.

2. With a pastry blender or fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

3. In a small bowl stir together egg yolk and cold water, and then add yolk mixture to flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing to incorporate until mixture forms a dough.

4. On a work surface smear dough in several forward motions with heel of hand to develop gluten in flour and make dough easier to work with. Scrape dough together to form a ball and flatten to a 1-inch-thick disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap for thirty minutes to hour.

5. Halve and core apples (do not peel) and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl toss apple slices gently with wine.

6. Preheat oven to 400°F.

7. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to a 15-inch round and transfer to a large baking sheet. Fold in edge 1 inch all around to form a border.

8. Arrange apple slices on pastry round in overlapping concentric circles. Brush apple slices and pastry border with wine remaining in bowl and sprinkle with sugar.

9. Bake the galette for 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and pastry border is golden. Cool galette on baking sheet on a rack.

10. While galette is cooling, simmer wine with jelly and thyme in a small saucepan until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Remove thyme with a slotted spoon and brush hot glaze generously over apple slices. Garnish galette with thyme sprigs and leaves.

Serves 8
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