Good day StyleChile readers, it is my pleasure to offer up my first post as a contributor to the Nourishment category. With the holiday season quickly approaching (can’t believe Thanksgiving is just days away), I thought I’d share a recipe for an apple galette—a relatively stress-free alternative to the traditional holiday desserts of apple, pumpkin, and sweet potato pies. The rustic charm of the galette is sure to bring smiles to your family and friends.

The galette is a simple dessert composed of free-form pastry dough, that folds over a (typically fruit) filling. Celebrated chef and food writer Melissa Clark wrote a great piece in the New York Times in August entitled “The Galette Forgives You“, which is true because a galette is not meant to be perfect. That is what makes the apple galette stress-free—you don’t have to worry about a perfect looking lattice as you would for an apple pie; or a smooth, crack-free surface like that of a pumpkin pie. If you are even the slightest bit intimidated by the thought of making a pie or tart, start with the galette and the pressure to create a flawless dessert will be off your shoulders.

I made my first apple galette, over a year and a half ago, using a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen and it turned out great, even though I’m just a self-taught home cook who experiments with different recipes and techniques—I have limited experience baking and no formal culinary training. Of course, I served that first galette with Salty Caramel ice cream from my favorite purveyor, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams out of Columbus, Ohio.

After that experience, I was bit by the apple galette bug and made another one just a couple of weeks later using Jacques Pépin’s country apple galette recipe from Food & Wine magazine. The photo immediately below is the result of that endeavor.
Recently, my love of the apple galette was once again reignited by the salted-butter apple galette recipe in this November’s issue of Bon Appétit magazine. That recipe is a little more involved because it requires browning the butter with the vanilla seeds and pod, but it adds an amazing flavor profile to the apples. Who doesn’t love real vanilla?!
Once again, I served the apple galette with two different Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams: Salty Caramel and Ndali Estate Vanilla Bean. Oh, before I forget, here’s a tip: if your knife skills are lacking, use a mandolin to create the perfect apple slices.
Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and I look forward to sharing more of my insights with you in the near future.

Article and Photos by Raza.