Keep the Doctor Away...

...with a rustic apple tart.

I went apple picking a couple of weeks ago and since that fateful day pies of every shape and kind abound in Domus Laxtonorum. A few new recipes emerged and took a place in the catalog of family favorites. The English Apple Pie - rather like a crisp except that the topping resembled cookie dough more than the traditional crumb - received high praise. The following Apple Galette recipe from William-Sonoma inspired another fortuitous baking enterprise:

Apple Galette

A galette is a rustic, free-form tart that is cooked on a baking sheet rather than in a tart pan. It can be prepared with a variety of seasonal fruits.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sugar
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:
2 lb. apples, such as Granny Smith or Jonagold,
peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch

1 egg, lightly beaten
Sugar for sprinkling
1/4 cup apricot jam
Lightly sweetened whipped cream for serving

Directions

To make the dough, put the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Put the butter in another bowl and place both bowls in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Transfer the flour mixture to a food processor and pulse about 5 times to blend. Add the butter and pulse 15 to 20 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/3 cup of the water and pulse twice. Squeeze the dough with your fingers; it should hold together but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 Tbs. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of an oven. Position another rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a second baking sheet with a Silpat nonstick liner and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, stir together the apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch. Set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. Place the dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper and roll out into a 12-inch round. Brush off the excess flour. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Arrange the apple filling in the center of the dough, mounding the fruit slightly and leaving a 2-inch border. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the apples, pleating loosely. Brush the dough with the beaten egg. Lightly sprinkle sugar over the apples.

Bake until the crust is golden and the apples are tender, about 1 hour. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the galette cool completely, about 1 hour.

Just before serving, in a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the jam. Brush the apples with the jam and let cool. Cut the galette into 8 slices and accompany each slice with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 8.

I used a baking stone with greased wax paper, rather than a baking sheet with Silpat liner.

Next on my list: Swiss Apple Pie and Apple Claufoutis