IN THE KITCHEN

It’s apple season, folks. As the nights get cooler, and the days shorter, it’s time to pull on a woolen sweater, grab a cup of tea and your book, and curl up by the fire with a slice of my spiced apple galette. This recipe is simple and deliciously flaky served warm from the oven. Plus, it’s a RUSTIC apple galette, so the beauty is that it isn’t fussy or perfect.

RUSTIC APPLE GALETTE:

For the crust:

1 1/4 cup flour (185 grams)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter (115 grams)
1/8 cup shortening (if you’re not in the U.S., substitute 20 more grams of butter for the shortening)
3-4 Tbsp. ice water

Combine the flour and salt in a big bowl, cut in the cold butter until the mixture is the size of small peas. You can use a food processer for this step, or a knife. Cut the shortening into the butter and flour mixture. Using a fork incorporate the ice water, taking care to evenly distribute the water into the mixture. Do not overwork the crust in this step. Pour the mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it into a disc shape. Put in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C)

Meanwhile chop 4-6 apples into slivers, skin on. I like to use a combination of my favorites: granny smith, mcIntosh, and pink lady. Toss the apples with 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch. Set aside and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes.

Take the crust out of the fridge. Flour your work surface and flour your rolling pin. Roll the dough out until it is about 1/8 in. thick (3 mm) in whatever shape comes naturally. Square, disc, rectangle, or most likely: amorphic blob. Place the crust onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Spoon the apple mixture into the center of the crust and take 2-3 Tbsp. of cold butter and toss it in small chunks on top of the apple filling. Pull the sides of the crust up and into the middle as seen in the picture below. You want there to be a little opening in the center so that the steam from the apples has a place to escape as they bake in the oven.

Bake the galette for about 25 minutes at 425 F/220 C, or until golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Crafting idea for the kids

HALLOWEEN SPIDERWEB CRAFT

Supplies:

a piece of white craft or watercolor paper
a white crayon
a paintbrush
watercolors
black marker

This craft is super simple and gives pretty results!

Draw a spider web on the paper using the white crayon. If you have young kids just have them scribble on the paper with the crayon.
Use a variety of colorful watercolors and paint over the entire surface of the paper. The crayon acts as a resist to the the watercolor.
Once the watercolors are fully dry, use the black marker to draw a spider on the web.

You can hang these paintings up on the fridge, or punch a hole at the top, add some string and hang them around the house. Or, make some Halloween cards or party invitations using this technique. Happy crafting!