Like Pie? Your New Favorite Word is: Galette

You're thinking, "I'm pretty sure my favorite word is still 'swizzle stick'.", but trust me, "galette" is going to be at least in the top ten. I've previously posted my apple pie recipe, which, though delicious, makes a lot of pie, takes a lot of time, and really isn't practical for a weeknight. "Galette" is a word that the French use to describe a lot of flat desserts, but this recipe is for a flat, one crust sorta pie. And if you use ready made pie crusts, it's ridiculously easy to throw together.

You'll need:

2-3 Tart Baking Apples, like Granny Smith

1 Ready Made Pie Crust

2 Tbsp. Sugar

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger

Pinch Clove

1 Tbsp. Butter


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper. Yes, you have to. You can find some in the baking aisle of your grocery store. Then unroll your ready made pie crust. Yup. It's that easy. You didn't even need a pie plate!

Now, peel, core, and slice your apples. In this one, the apples show, so it helps if you're careful and make nice even slices, while keeping the apple half together, as pictured to the left. You'll see in a second why.

 

Try to place them artfully, kinda curling them around each other, on top of the pie crust, keeping a 1 and a half margin around the edge. This step doesn't require perfection, just do your best, and at the end of the day, remind yourself that this is a "rustic" dessert. I only ended up fitting two and a half apples on there, so how much apple you use depends on the crust size and size of your apples.

 

Okay, mix your sugar and spices together, and sprinkle them evenly over the apples. Then dot the top with butter.

Now, fold over the edge of the crust. To keep the fold secure during baking, and protect the crust, fold some strips of aluminum foil around the edge, just covering the crust, not the apples.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

And, voila! It's smaller than pie and only makes about 6 servings, so it's perfect for couples or small families. It takes about 20-30 minutes to put together (depending on how fast you peel and cut apples), and bakes in less than an hour. And, like my pie, it tastes like apples. :D

Spicy Apple Chicken with Gorgonzola Orzo

This is my "go-to" dinner, when I want to be impressive, but I just don't have "impressive" time. It is seriously the easiest thing to throw together, so easy, that tonight, for the first time, I actually paid attention to, and measured the ingredients. Normally, I just throw the ingredients in the pan. It's 15 minutes prep, and 45 minutes to bake, but it's a complete meal, not to mention low in fat. And, if I do say so myself, it's just SO yummy!

You will need:

3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (whatever comes in the package)

1 Onion

1 Apple

1/2 cup Apple Butter (from yesterday's recipe, or store bought)

1/2 cup Spicy Brown Mustard

1 cup Orzo (or other small pasta, like Israeli Couscous)

3-4 oz. Crumbled Gorgonzola (whatever comes prepackaged)

8x8 baking pan

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice your apple and your onion (slice your onion like it's an apple) and drop in your baking pan. Cover with your chicken breasts (clean and trim them if you have time, but if you don't care, just plop 'em on)(see picture).

In a separate bowl, mix your apple butter and mustard together. Slather the apple & mustard sauce over the whole thing, making sure to completely cover the chicken (this will keep the chicken moist). Put the baking pan in the oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165 on a kitchen thermometer.

About 15 minutes before the chicken is done, boil your pasta according to package instructions (usually around 10 minutes). Drain, and throw back into the pot. While the pasta is still hot, stir in the gorgonzola crumbles. The heat from the pasta should melt the cheese into a sauce.

Serve the chicken over the gorgonzola orzo with some of the apples and onions from the bottom of the pan, and plenty of the apple & mustard sauce. Done. Leftovers refrigerate and reheat very well, and I even think it tastes better on the second day. Seriously easy.

Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Butter

This is the one "From Scratch" recipe I'll be posting this week. But, I realized it does kinda fit in with the spirit of the week, since I didn't invent this recipe. In fact, it's copyrighted, so I can't even copy it here. Which is making tonight's blog post super easy, since all I can do is give you a link to it!

I love this apple butter. We gave it as favors at our wedding. In fact, this jar is one we canned for our wedding, six years ago. I should mention that the original of this recipe is no longer available on the internet, so the link is to a slightly less spicy version. To make it the way we made it six years ago, up the cinnamon to 1 tsp., and the cloves and ginger to 1/2 tsp.

I also feel I should mention that apple butter contains no butter, unlike fruit curds, which contain TONS of butter. So, if you're looking for a delicious, not too sugary, non-fat fruit spread, I say go with a fruit butter.

Scones, Not Stones

Scones are a misunderstood, much abused pastry. I don't know how some bakeries and coffee shops are making them, but most commercial scones I've encountered could break teeth. So, if you saw the title of the post and are hoping to find a recipe for scones that won't leave you with dentures, your wish has been granted. These scones are tender, with a delicate crumb, and are delicious for breakfast or an afternoon snack. They are also, fairly fast and easy, leaving you with fresh from the oven scones in about 30 minutes. Here is a recipe I adapted from Joy of Cooking for Apple Ginger Spice Scones.

You will need:

2 cups Flour

1/3 cup Sugar

1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger

1/4 tsp. Allspice

6 Tbsp. (¾ stick) cold, Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup Dried Apple, chopped

2 Tbsp. Candied Ginger, chopped

1 Egg

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 to 3 tsp. More Heavy Cream

More Sugar

Mixing Bowl

Pastry Blender

Baking Sheet

Preheat the over to 425 degrees.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice together in a fairly large mixing bowl. Drop in the 6 tablespoons of cold butter in 1 tablespoon pats, and coat them with flour before you begin "cutting" them in (see picture).

Cut in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender (I recommend the pastry blender, because it will produce a finer texture) and separate them as you work, until the largest pieces are the size of peas and the rest resemble breadcrumbs (see picture). Do not allow the butter to melt or form a paste with the flour.

Whisk the 1/2 cup heavy cream with the egg and vanilla in a separate bowl, and then add to the flour mixture, mixing with a spoon until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Then gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of the bowl until it all loose pieces are incorporated and the bowl is fairly clean. Separate the dough into two equal balls, and pat each ball of dough into a 6-inch round about ¾ inch thick and cut each into 8 wedges and place at least ½ inch apart on the baking sheet (see picture).

Brush the tops with the extra heavy cream, and liberally sprinkle them with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown (see picture).

Let cool on a rack or serve warm. I highly recommend enjoying them with a cup of tea.

No Glop Apple Pie

I love apple pie. I do not love apple glop pie, which is what I find in most people's apple pies. I get that some people love the gooey, syrupy, gelatinous, primordial ooze with apple bits that you find in most apple pies. I'm just not one of those people. I want my apple pie to look and taste like apples. It should not have flour, or cornstarch, or have the filling cooked beforehand. This is my apple pie. It tastes like apples.

You will need:

7-8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored

1/2 cup Sugar

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp. Allspice

1/4 tsp. Ground Clove

1 Tbsp. Butter

1Tbsp. Heavy Cream (optional)

More Sugar (optional)

Pie Crusts

A Mandolin Slicer

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Peel and core all your apples, and then slice them on your mandolin on the thinnest setting you have. Trust me. The thinner the better. Then cut them in half, to make little half circles of apple (see picture). Really, trust me.

At this point you should also put your bottom crust in your pie plate, and make sure there is no air trapped between the crust and the pan. I'm not including a pie crust recipe, because I use my mother's secret pie crust recipe, and I won't reveal it. You'll never make me talk!

In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and spices, and mix them up well (see picture). I'll use this time to give a big shout out to Penzey's Spices. They're great. When I was growing up, there was only really one type of cinnamon available, and it was whatever McCormick was offering at the grocery store. Now, there are tons of different types of your staple spices available to you. I highly recommend finding a Penzey's and smelling a couple of types of cinnamon, and deciding which one you like best.

Okay, start laying out your apple slices in concentric circles. It looks really pretty while you're making it, and it kills me that no one gets to see this part of it when it's finished (see picture). But you aren't doing it to be pretty, you're doing it to make tightly packed, thin layers of apple. Sprinkle every layer with the sugar/spice mixture, starting off with a light sprinkle on the first layer, and gradually getting heavier as you layer to the top. Some spice will trickle down, so you want it top heavy, or the bottom will be very spicy.

When you are done layering your apples, sugar, and spice, dot the top with bits of butter (see picture). (The apples should be piled at least and inch and a half higher than the edge of your pie pan. The apples will shrink when you bake them, so you want it to start high.) Then place your second crust on top and seal the edges. Make sure to cut some vents into the top crust. I like to cut a decorative leaf pattern, but a few slashes will do the trick.

Now, at this point, because The Physicist has a sweet tooth, I brush some heavy cream lightly over the top, and sprinkle the crust with more sugar.

Place your pie on a cookie sheet (pies sometimes bubble up, and you want something to catch the drips so they don't burn). Then, using small strips of aluminum foil, cover just the edges of your crust. Slide into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the crust covers, and bake for another 20 minutes. The pie should look golden (see picture). Cool for 20 minutes, then serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I should warn you, it tastes like apples.