Rustic Apple Galette Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep the bottom of galette from getting soggy? ›

Preventing Soggy Bottoms

Because you can't par-bake a galette crust to prevent the fruit's juices from making the crust soggy, many folks brush their galette crust with egg white or make a layer of crushed cookies or cake crumbs, either of which work fine.

Other than the manner in which they are baked, tarts are very similar to galettes, in that they are typically fruit-filled. Many tarts have a custard base, but Butter Baking notes it's also possible to add custard to galettes. Unlike galettes, tarts do not get an egg wash or sugar coating.

You can make the dough up to three days ahead, but this galette is at its best served the same day it was baked.

A galette, if you're unfamiliar, is a kind of open-faced, freeform pie. The dough for the crust is the same as a traditional pie, but the structure of the dessert is different.

The most common way to ward off a soggy pie crust is by a process called blind baking. Blind baking means you pre-bake the crust (sometimes covered with parchment or foil and weighed down with pie weights to prevent the crust from bubbling up) so that it sets and crisps up before you add any wet filling.

In order to release from the pan without damage, tart crusts will often be a bit more shortbread-like, as opposed to the flakey pie dough typically used for crostatas and galettes. But, like crostatas and galettes, these can go either savory or sweet, and we certainly do not discriminate here.

Whereas pies and tarts are baked in a mould or dish, galettes are freeform; laid on a flat sheet, its edges are turned up and folded inward by hand, producing a rustic appeal and a distinct shape—while tarts and pies have crusts that are wither straight or widen at the mouth, the mouths of galettes are smaller than its ...

A crostata is an Italian version of the French galette that can be sweet and savory, too. We've baked sweet crostatas filled with apricot jam or strawberry jam, as well as an umami-rich scallion and soy filling.

Whether making a sweet or savory galette, a soggy bottom can be difficult to avoid because the fruits or vegetables in the filling release water as the galette bakes. Here at ATK, we've come up with many crisp-crust solutions, such as parcooking the vegetables in the filling or macerating and draining the fruit.

Well, the tradition of Galette des Rois began some 700 to 800 years ago in France, in the 14^th century. The tradition is to have this cake on the 12^th day of Christmas, i.e., January 6^th. However, it is enjoyed throughout January with friends and family. Galette des Rois is eaten to celebrate the Biblical Epiphany.

Why do the French eat galette? ›

The French have been serving up galette des rois since the 14th-century. Traditionally, it's served on January 6th – the 12th day of Christmas – to celebrate the Epiphany, a religious feast day commemorating the arrival of the Three Kings to the manger where Jesus was born.

Cut butter into cubes, then add to food processor and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-sized pieces. Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together. It should be moist, but not wet. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball.

If you're like us, you've probably seen your grandmother use a fork to poke holes in an unbaked pie crust before it is filled. Otherwise known as "docking", this classic method is just another way to help the steam escape during the baking process.

Every galette has a secret – tucked somewhere inside the galette is a prize. In early times, the prize was a dried bean, or fève. Over the centuries, the beans were replaced by all manner of trinkets, usually made of porcelain, but they've never stopped being called fèves.

It's an easy pitfall because fruit releases a lot of liquid when it bakes. Thickeners you mix into the filling, like cornstarch, soak up a lot of the liquid, but sometimes not all of it. Plus, as it bakes, the crust itself releases moisture in the form of steam. Often, blind-baking solves this problem.

An Egg or Cream Wash

An egg wash will give your pie crust a glossy finish. A cream wash will give your pie crust more of a semi-golden, matte-like finish. Skipping a wash altogether can leave your crust looking stark.

The website joyofbaking.com defines the term galette as "a French term signifying a flat round cake that can be either sweet or savory and while [recipes can use] puff pastry as a base, they can also be made from risen doughs like brioche, or with a sweet pastry crust."