The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (337 page)

SERVES 8

Make sure that the caramel doesn’t get too brown before adding the apples in step 5; it should be just golden. Be sure to let the tart rest for 30 minutes before serving, or it will likely break into pieces when you unmold it.

DOUGH

APPLES

TOPPING

1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Process flour, sugar, and salt together in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. With machine running, add egg and continue to process until dough just comes together around processor blade, about 12 seconds.

2.
Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into 6-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling it out.)

3.
Roll dough into 14-inch circle on lightly floured counter, then transfer to parchment paper–lined baking sheet; cover with plastic and refrigerate until needed.

4. FOR THE APPLES:
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar and cook until mixture is light golden, 2 to 4 minutes.

5.
Off heat, place first apple quarter cut side down, with end touching skillet wall. Continue to arrange apples, lifting each quarter on its edge and placing next apple quarter on its edge, so that apples stand straight up on cut edge. Fill skillet middle with remaining quarters, halved if necessary. Cook apples over medium heat until they are lightly golden and caramel is darkly colored, about 6 minutes, turning apples over halfway through cooking.

6.
Off heat, slide chilled dough over apples in skillet. Being careful not to burn fingers, fold back edge of dough so that it fits snugly into skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and bake tart until crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking.

7.
Using potholder (skillet handle will be hot), remove skillet from oven. Let tart cool in skillet for 30 minutes. Run small knife around edge, place inverted serving platter (or cutting board) over top and gently flip tart onto platter, using mitts or kitchen towels if skillet is still hot. Scrape out any apples that stick to skillet and put them back into place on tart.

8. FOR THE TOPPING:
Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream and sour cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve individual portions with dollop of topping.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

The French tart known as an apple galette should have a flaky crust and a substantial layer of nicely shingled sweet caramelized apples. But it’s challenging to make a crust strong enough to hold the apples and still be eaten out of hand—most recipes create a crust that is tough, crackerlike, and bland. Our ideal galette has the buttery flakiness of a croissant but is strong enough to support a generous layer of caramelized apples. Choosing the right flour put us on the right track. All-purpose flour contains too much gluten for this dough; it made the pastry tough. Lower-protein pastry flour created a flaky, tender, and sturdy pastry. But since pastry flour is hard to find, we created a practical alternative by mixing regular all-purpose flour with instant flour. Technique also proved to be important. We used the French fraisage method of blending butter into dough, which makes for long, thin sheets of butter that bake up into flaky layers in the crust. The apple topping was simple. We found that any thinly sliced apple would work, although we preferred the flavor of Granny Smiths.

See “PREPARING APPLE GALETTE” illustrations that follow recipe.

SERVES 10 TO 12

The most common brands of instant flour are Wondra and Shake & Blend; they are sold in canisters in the baking aisle. The galette can be made without instant flour, using 2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch; however, you might have to increase the amount of ice water. For more information on mixing the tart dough in step 2, see
FRAISAGE OR MIXING FLAKY TART DOUGH
. Serve with vanilla ice cream,
WHIPPED CREAM
or
TANGY WHIPPED CREAM
. If you choose to make the tangy whipped cream, make it before starting the galette because it must stand at room temperature for about 1¹⁄
₂
hours before serving.

DOUGH

TOPPING

1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Process all-purpose flour, instant flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. Continue to pulse, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough begins to form small curds that hold together when pinched with fingers (dough will be crumbly), about 10 pulses.

2.
Turn dough crumbs onto lightly floured counter and gather into rectangular-shaped pile. Starting at farthest end, use heel of hand to smear small amount of dough against counter. Continue to smear dough until all crumbs have been worked. Gather smeared crumbs together in another rectangular-shaped pile and repeat process. Press dough into 4-inch square, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling it out.)

3.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut piece of parchment paper to measure exactly 16 by 12 inches. Roll dough out over parchment, dusting with flour as needed, until it just overhangs parchment. Trim edges of dough even with parchment. Roll outer 1 inch of dough up to create ¹⁄
₂
-inch-thick border. Slide parchment with dough onto baking sheet.

4. FOR THE TOPPING:
Starting in 1 corner of tart, shingle apple slices into crust in tidy diagonal rows, overlapping them by one-third. Dot with butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake tart until bottom is deep golden brown and apples have caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.

5.
Melt jelly in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to smooth out any lumps. Brush glaze over apples and let tart cool slightly on sheet for 10 minutes. Slide tart onto large platter or cutting board and slice tart in half lengthwise, then crosswise into square pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.