ABC Galette

You will need: Pastry Dough

1 ½ c      Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/3 c       Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 tsp       Demerara sugar
1/4 tsp    Kosher Salt
1 tbsp      Ground ginger
¾ tsp      Ground cinnamon
½ tsp      Ground nutmeg
¼ tsp      Ground cloves
1 stick + 2 tbsp       frozen and cubed unsalted Irish Butter
1/3 c       Chilled Cleveland Sugar Maple Syrup Barrel Bourbon + 1/2 – 1 oz extra if your dough is excessively dry

Directions: Pastry Dough

1. In a food processor, combine the flour with the sugar, salt, cheese, and frozen butter cube (just the stick) and pulse until combined evenly.
2. Add the chilled water and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. You should still see little chunks of butter in the dough.
3. When you have a good ball of dough, wrap it up in plastic and let it chill for an hour in the fridge.
4. Transfer to a powdered butcher’s block and punch it out into a disk like you’re working pizza dough. You can use a roller for this if you’d like, but I like to get into it.

You will need: Filling

3             Macintosh Apples
3 tbsp    Apricot Preserves
1 tsp      Fresh Lemon Zest
1 tbsp    Raw Honey
2 tbsp    Dried Cranberries

Directions: Filling

1. Peel, halve, and core the Macintosh apples, slicing them thinly, about a ¼ thick. Snack on the end pieces like a boss.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the apricot preserves, lemon zest, honey, dried cranberries, and toss into a paste.

Making the Galette

1. Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit (if baking in a normal oven: adjust for convection cooking)
2. Form your dough. Be loose with the shape. This is a rustic pastry: do your worst. The most important thing is making sure the dough is thin (between 1/4 and 1/8″ thick) and consistently thick. Don’t work it too hard, though: try to keep it cool.
   1. If you go the rectangular route, use a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper: this thing will stick.
   2.  If you go the circular route, transfer to a pizza stone dusted with cornmeal.
3. Spread the apricot paste to roughly an inch of the edge with the back of a spoon.
4. Arrange the apple slices decoratively. Whether you go concentric circles (traditional arrangement) or in overlapping rows doesn’t matter: just make sure you lay them out evenly because thickness determines cooking consistency.
5. Fold the edges up and over the filling to create a one-inch border and place the remaining butter cubes evenly on top of the apple slices.
6. Bake for about an hour: I’ve had this take anywhere from 40 minutes to 55 minutes. What you’re looking for is a sexy browned and crispy pastry and tender apples. Use your best judgment on this.
7. Allow to cool on a rack.

Finishing the Galette

1. Let it cool for at least half an hour: serve warm or at room temperature.
2. Smash it aggressively with friends.
   Optional: Serve with warm caramel sauce for drizzling or dipping.