Petit Apple Pear Galette

Galette is a round and flat pastry with seasoned fruit fillings. Here I am presenting my mini version of galette with apple and pear filling. Crust of the galette is so buttery, flaky, light with perfect crispness. It has got multiple layers, textures and flavours, which you can feel, in just a single bite of it. Well, this makes a great dish on your Thanksgiving day because they are crowd pleaser.

As I was saying, how do we get that flaky and buttery crust?

Temperature of the ingredients and working with chilled dough is the key to flaky crust. Butter needs to be cold before using. So get it out from the refrigerator just before you need it. Use ice cold water to form crust/pie dough. It does not let butter melt in the dough. Always work with chilled dough for pies and galettes. Chilling the dough ensures that the butter doesn’t melt and it melts right in the oven and bakes into a flaky, puffy crust. Avoiding sliced apples and pears browning

When you are working with sliced apples and pears, it’s pretty sure that they get oxidised, turning into brown colour when exposed to atmosphere. Avoid it by adding a dash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. I like fresh juice of lemons, so, I stick to that.

Variety of apples for filling I have used Granny Smith apples which are sweet-tart and crispy. Pair them up with some sweet pear. You can choose to use any variety of apples and also use just one variety of apple or assorted apples. Choice is yours. Speaking of apples, there is

• Honey Crisp - sweet-tart, berry taste, crisp

• Pink lady - sweet-tart, crisp

• Gala - sweet and crisp and

• Tropical beauty - super sweet, less acidic and crisp etc.
  

Substitutes for filling

Assorted berries, peaches, plums and many more.

Method

Pie Crust

In a large food processor, add in the dry ingredients mentioned under pie crust . Then goes the chilled cubed butter. Pulse it for about 5 seconds. Mixture should be crumbly and you should find pea sized blobs of butter coated with flour. Do not pulse post this. We need those little blobs of butter because it is going to melt in oven and creates that space for air to puff up the crust, resulting in flaky and light crust. Keep the ice cubes ready in a jar and add little water to it. Use a tablespoon of ice cold water at a time to form the pie dough. With light hands, form a dough and do not knead the dough too much because that will initiate gluten in the dough which we don’t want. Once it comes together, cling wrap the dough and secure it in a box. Let the dough box chill at least 3-4 hours to max of 4 days in refrigerator.

Apple Pear Filling Get started with the filling 30 minutes before you take out the chilled dough from refrigerator. Add sliced apples and pears into a mixing bowl. Without spending much time, add dash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and toss it a bit to coat all the slices. Add in some sugar, all purpose flour, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Give them a good stir and pop it in the fridge until you roll out the dough. I personally do not like the taste of cinnamon and nutmeg hence keeping those two in minimal quantity. You can add upto 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Petit Apple Pear Galette

Once the dough is chilled completely, take it out from the refrigerator, unwrap it and roll the pie dough on a dusted surface using a rolling pin for about 1/4 inch thickness. You will see butter blobs in the rolled dough (yay! It’s going to be all buttery, flaky and light crust). Using a cookie cutter or any lid with sharp edge (about 5-6 inch diameter), cut the rolled pie dough. Apparently, if you do not have either of those, use knife. Place them on cookie tray lined with a parchment paper. Use the extra dough and form a ball. Re-roll the dough again and cut it. Repeat this until you aren’t left with any dough. If you find that dough is softening and getting warm, pop it in the fridge for 15-20 min and then continue. Once you have all the rolled discs lined, place about 2 tablespoons of apple pear filling and pleat the edges and secure it real nice so as to avoid opening of the crust in oven. Chill the whole tray for about 20 min before baking. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees for 15 min. Brush the crust edges with milk to get that nice golden colour. Pop the tray in oven and bake them for 25-30 min or until the crust starts to brown. Rub a little butter on the warm galettes for little shine .Savour as it is while it is still warm or pair It up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe

Serves 5-6 petit galettes

Prep time: 20 min

Wait time: 3 hr 20 min

Bake time: 30 min

Total time: 4 hr 10 min

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• All purpose flour - 150g or 1 1/4 cups

• Sugar - 1 tsp

• Salt - 1/4 tsp

• Cold unsalted butter - 110g or 1/2 cup + 1 tsp

• Ice cold water - 75ml or 5 tbsp

Filling

• Sliced apples - 130g or 1 medium sized apple

• Sliced pears - 160g or 1 pear

• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar - 1/2 tbsp

• Sugar - 2 tsp

• All purpose flour - 1 tbsp

• Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp

• Nutmeg - 1/8 tsp or a good pinch

Brushing

• Milk - 1 tbsp for milk wash

• Butter - 1/2 tsp

Steps

Pie Dough

• In a food processor, add flour, sugar, salt and chilled cubed butter. Pulse it for 5 seconds or until you have pea sized butter, coated with flour. Whole mixture should turn crumbly. Do not over pulse it.

• In a glass/jar, add 8-10 ice cubes. Add 100ml of water. Give it a stir. Ice cold water is ready.

• Transfer the contents of food processor to a large mixing bowl. Add ice cold water from the jar, 1 tbsp at a time until it forms a dough. Approximately, you will need 5-6 tbsp (75-80ml).(See notes)

• Form a thick disc of dough. Cling wrap it, place it in an air tight box and pop it in the refrigerator.

• Let it chill for about minimum of 3 hours or maximum of 4 days in the refrigerator. (See notes)

Apple Pear Filling

• Get started with the filling just 30min before you could take out the dough.

• Add sliced apples and pears in a mixing bowl. Then goes sugar, some lemon juice, all purpose flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. (See notes)

• Give it a good toss and keep it aside in the refrigerator.

Apple Pear Galette

• Once dough is completely chilled, take it out from the refrigerator. Roll it out using a rolling pin on a dusted surface to 1/4 inch thickness. (See Notes)

• Using a cookie cutter or knife or lid of a container with sharp edge, cut the rolled dough into small circles, roughly 5-6 inch diameter.

• Line a cookie tray with parchment paper and place the small circles of dough on it.

• Re-roll the left out dough and repeat the same process until you aren't left with any dough.(See notes)

• Get the filling out of the refrigerator and place 2 tablespoons of it in the centre of each rolled out dough. (See Notes)

• Pleat the edges and secure it real nice that it doesn't open up when baked. Pop the whole tray in the refrigerator and chill them for 20 min.

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees for about 15-20 min.

• Brush the galettes with some milk and place the tray in the oven. Bake them for about 30min or until the crust turns golden brown.

• Once done, take them out of the oven. Brush galettes with little butter and savour it as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream while it is still warm.

Notes

Pie dough

• When kneading the dough, be gentle. Do not over knead the dough so as to not build gluten.

• You can freeze it for upto 3 months in an air tight container. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator and use it.

Apple Pear Filling

• I personally don't like the taste of cinnamon and nutmeg. I try to keep as minimal as possible or even skip it. You can add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg if you wish to.

Petit Apple Pear Galette

• Always work with chilled dough. Be gentle when you roll out the dough and you should see speckles of butter.

• While working with the dough, if it seems to be soft, pop it in the refrigerator for 10-15 min and then work with it.

• Filling would have secreted some water at the bottom. Make sure to take the slices and not the water because that would make the crust soggy.