Apple Almond Galette with Toffee Almond Drizzle

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil. You want a pan with rimmed edges, should your pastry leak at all. Trust me on this one!

Cut the butter for the pastry into 1/2″ chunks. Then place the chunks in the refrigerator to stay cold while you prepare the apple filling.

Combine the apple slices, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, flour, almond extract, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well to coat apples.

Then make the pastry. This recipe makes enough dough (dough only, not apple filling!) for 2 galettes. If you want to make 2 galettes, then you would need to double the filling recipe. I wrap one half of the dough in plastic wrap and then place it in a baggie to go in the fridge or freezer for a future day of fresh galette baking.

In a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor, mix just 2 cups of the flour with the salt and sugar. Add the cold chunks of butter and cut them into the flour mixture using a rigid pastry cutter or by pulsing the mixture in the food processor. Once the mixture looks like large crumbs clinging together in clumps, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Mix lightly or pulse the food processor a few times to combine. Do not over mix. The flour should coat the clumps. Sprinkle the ice water over the dough. With your hands or a wooden spoon, mix until the dough holds together. Divide dough in half and form into two discs. (This is the point where I freeze one of the discs for later use, since the filling is only enough for one galette).

Here’s where you really need to check out the pie making tutorial on The Pioneer Woman, where Pam explains her parchment paper technique. Pam has saved me from so much pastry frustration. Thank you, Pam and Ree!

Using two 12″ square pieces of parchment paper, place a disc of dough between them. Start rolling the dough from the center of the disc outward, turning the dough and parchment as necessary. Continue rolling from center to outer edge until you have a circle shape between 11″ and 12″ in diameter.

Now lift dough and parchment, still intact, and place it on your foil lined pan. Peel off the top piece of parchment, leaving the circle of dough on top of the remaining piece of parchment.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the marzipan to a 9″ circle. Place the marzipan on top of the pie dough. Then spoon the prepared apple filling over the marzipan, leaving a 2″ apple-free border around the entire circle of dough. Dot the apple mixture with the 2 tablespoons of butter. Gently fold the 2″ dough border up and over the apple mixture, pressing gently to seal. Your aim is for a rustic look, with nothing perfectly even (see photo). The dough border will only partially cover the apple mixture, leaving exposed apples in the center. If you have any trouble lifting the dough border from the parchment paper, simply slide a very thin spatula dipped in flour between the dough and parchment to loosen it.

Beat the egg with the 1 tablespoon of water and brush some of the mixture on the dough for a beautiful golden baked pastry. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle on the dough to your liking. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is beautifully browned and the apples are bubbling a bit. Remove from oven to cool.

For the finishing touch, prepare the almond drizzle. Place the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, stirring as needed to dissolve the sugar evenly. This should take about 4 minutes or so. Cook for 1 minute longer, or until the sugar is golden in color. Remove from heat and carefully stir in 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Drizzle over galette. The drizzle hardens rather quickly, so don’t dilly-dally with this step. Once the almond drizzle has set, slice the galette.

The galette is best eaten the day it is made.