Apple galette with maple caramel
by Ben Rigby. Photo by Michael Piazza.A galette is like a free-form pie, for when you just want pie for pie’s sake. You can use your favourite pie dough for this, and even change up the fruit in the filling — pears would be a nice substitute. The maple caramel is the important part here.
Ingredients
Caramel
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream pinch salt
Filling
- 2 –3 apples, peeled
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 recipe pâte brisée or store-bought pie crust
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- First, make the caramel. Reduce 1 cup of maple syrup to half a cup. Then whisk in ¼ cup of granulated sugar and simmer for 5 minutes, to dissolve. Turn the flame to low and add the butter; whisk to incorporate. Slowly pour in the cream. Whisk continuously on medium-low heat until thick, and the sauce coats a metal spoon. Season with a pinch of salt to taste.
- Core the apples and slice very thin, about the thickness of a quarter (use a mandoline or very sharp knife). Toss with the brown sugar, bourbon and salt. Allow the apples to macerate for one hour. Once they’ve softened, toss with 5 tablespoons of the caramel, and let sit another 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Roll the pie dough on a floured work surface into a circle about 14 inches in diameter and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drain the apples, and arrange in the centre of the dough. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling so that about 2 inches of it covers the apples all around. Brush the dough with beaten egg. Bake until it begins to brown, then drop the temperature to 325℉ for another 30 minutes. Allow to cool before serving with extra caramel drizzled over the top.
- If you like, reserve some of the apples’ macerating juices and pour into more bourbon over ice; garnish with a lemon and enjoy as a cocktail. It’s also delicious stirred into fizzy water as a homemade apple soda.
