When it is cold one should turn on the oven

It has most certainly been cooler around here. Not feeling like I’m ready to turn on any sort of heat in our home I have resorted to baking more things. Some of the wasted oven heat has made it nice a toasty in here, not to mention it smells delicious. I’m on a bit of a pastry making addiction again, starting with ever so simple and delicious quiche. Then I moved onto sweeter treats, making an apple galette with crisp tart granny smith apples. I’m sure many types of apple would do, but I really enjoy the taste and texture of a baked granny smith. If you aren’t the sort of person to arrange the apples evenly in a circle you could just toss them all in there and make an equally delicious galette. Aside from the pastry I didn’t follow a recipe so I will do my best to recreate one for you all.

Apple Galette with plum sauce

Chilled pastry (I make all butter pastry, but any kind you like will do)

4-5 plums
1/4 cup white sugar
1 stick cinnamon
1 nut of nutmeg
8 cloves
1 cup water
4-5 medium granny smith apples
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon of lemon rind
1/4 cup milk
1 small vanilla pod (I used about 2 inches off a large pod)

Pit and chop the plums. Stir plums, sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a medium saucepan. Slowly simmer until it turns to a thick jam consistency. The more difficult part is fishing out the cloves at the end. You could also used ground spices to eliminate that problem, or tie them in a small parcel of cheese cloth to remove at the end. Set aside.

While that is simmering away you can core and slice the apples. I like the skin on mine but if you don’t peel the apples as well. In a bowl toss the apples with the lemon juice and rind.

Preheat the oven to 450 at this point.

Roll out the pastry into a large fairly thin circle. I usually get mine between 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch. It will more likely turn out soggy if you have it too thick. Place the pastry onto a round flat pan, I use the bottom from a spring form pan. Spread a few large spoonfuls of the plum sauce over the pastry, leaving 2 inches around the perimeter. Arrange the apples however you like but make sure they are fairly evenly spread out. Fold the edges over onto the apples. Again this can be as neat or as messy as you like it.

Make a wash with the milk and vanilla bean but scraping the pod into the milk and giving in a good wisk. Brush all over the pastry.

Bake at 450 for 20mins, then reduce heat to 375 and finish baking for 30 more minutes. The crust should be a nice golden brown colour. If your pastry doesn’t have sugar in it then you won’t get it as golden.

~ by danasaur82 on 10/17/2010.