Apple-Frangipane Galette
A thin layer of frangipane, a rich almond pastry cream, elevates this simple, classic French dessert into something special. It's made in the style of many French fruit tarts: thin-crusted and only lightly sweetened to let the fruit truly shine. Americans have eagerly adopted French-inspired freeform tarts, even giving them a French name, galette, a word that the French generally use to describe a round, squat pastry, cookie, or buckwheat crêpe. The most famous galette is Galette des Rois, two disks of puff pastry filled with frangipane and eaten on Epiphany. I considered calling this dessert a tart, but decided against it because that term can put off people who are worried about dealing with fussy doughs and trying to achieve picture-perfect results. This pastry is intended to be rustic, and for that reason, it's often my go-to galette. Or tart. Speaking of tart, if your apples are particularly tart, you could sprinkle a bit more sugar on top of them before baking, but if you serve a sweet accompaniment alongside, as I usually do, additional sugar probably won't be necessary.
Storage: The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. The tart should be served the day it's baked.
Variation: For a nectarine-Frangipane galette, substitute 3 large nectarines (1 3/4 pounds/795 g), pitted and cut in 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) slices, for the apples. (If you want the nectarines to have a very pronounced flavor in the tart, decrease the amount of frangipane; you can use as little as one-half the quantity, or about 1/2 cup/125 ml). Arrange the necctarine slices in barely overlapping concentric circles. You can use peeled peaches in place of the nectarines.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 8 serving
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Step 2
Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) slices.
Step 3
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough into a circle about 14 inches (36 cm) in diameter. Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
Step 4
Smear the frangipane over the dough, leaving a 2-inch (5-cm) border. Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles over the frangipane, or simply scatter them in an even layer. Fold the border of the dough over the apples and brush the crust with some of the melted butter, then lightly brush or dribble the rest of the butter over the apples. Sprinkle half of the sugar over the crust, and the remaining half over the apples.
Step 5
Bake the galette until the apples are tender and the crust has browned, about 1 hour. Slide the galette off the parchment paper and onto a wire rack.
Step 6
Serve warm or at room temperature. You can drizzle the galette with warm honey or glaze it with strained apricot jam, thinned with just enough water to make it spreadable.
Nutrition Per Serving
