This Apple Galette is made with Scarlet Surprise apples and a delicious hazelnut frangipane (or cream). I made this galette in a cast-iron pan which ensured the galette kept its shape and gave it a lovely crisp bottom. The tart apples sit on top of a sweet frangipane and it is also surrounded by a flaky tender buttery pie crust. For tips on how to make a successful pie crust see my recipe for Mini Peach Custard Pies. This galette is a great fall or winter dessert for the weekend or a special occasion. It's a dessert that tastes rich and looks beautiful.
What are Scarlett Surprise Apples
I rarely miss a weekend at the Farmer's Market. I love walking around the stalls, talking to the vendors and seeing what fresh fruit and vegetables are available. Summer is my favorite time of year at the market because of all the fresh berries, but with fall comes all the fresh delicious apples. One of the best vendors at the market for apples is Kiyokawa Family Orchards. They sell fresh produce throughout the year, but I love them best for their apples. The owners are really nice and know their product really well.
Last year I discovered Scarlett Surprise apples from Kiyokawa Orchards. They usually offer samples and as soon as I saw the red sliced apple I was intrigued. It was sweet but mostly tart and I love tart apples. The apples have a short season compared to more common varieties like Fuji, Honeycrisp or Gala apples, so if you see them in the market make sure you grab some. The other apple that is similar to the Scarlet Surprise is the Mountain Rose. It also has red flesh, tastes great and makes a baking apple. The Mt. Rose has a longer season, so if Scarlet Surprise is not available, try the Mt. Rose.
How to Make the Hazelnut Frangipane
Frangipane is almond cream made with ground almonds, sugar, butter and a little flour. This frangipane is made hazelnut flour. It is fragrant and delicious with the taste of toasted hazelnuts. Originally I had planned to make an almond frangipane, but when I saw the hazelnut flour from Bob's Red Mill sitting in my freezer I decided to try something different. I absolutely love the hazelnut frangipane. It has a more distinctive taste and is a little sweeter. It was a perfect combination with the apples. It is easy to mix together by hand or with a hand mixer and once it is made will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to Make Galette Dough
Making the galette dough is the same as making regular pie dough. The recipe for this post is enough for two pie crusts or galettes. I always make two and freeze the second one because it is not much more effort to make two than one.
The easiest way to make the dough is to use a food processor, but you can also make it by hand. I actually like making the dough by hand, I find it very relaxing, but when making a large amount of pie dough the food processor is the way to go. If using a food processor be careful not to overprocess the dough. The butter should be the size of small peas. Once the dry ingredients and butter are processed, dump the mixture in a large bowl.
Initially add half the water and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to work the water into the dough. Add the remaining water 2 tablespoons at a time, gently working the water into the dough until the dough starts to hold together when it is squeezed. The recipe calls for a specific amount of water but you may need more to get the right consistency. Add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time. I discovered that when the weather is cold and dry (low humidity) I need a little extra water.
The best thing about making galettes is that the dough circle doesn't need to be perfectly round nor the edges perfectly even. It's free form and all you need to do is pull and fold it over the apples.
How to Make the Apple Galette
Now all the ingredients are ready and it's time to put together the galette. Roll out the pie dough to a 12-inch circle. Fold the dough in half and then in half again, so it looks like a fan or triangle.
Place the dough in the cast iron placing the triangular point of the dough in the center of the pan. The dough should slightly overhang the edge of the pan. Open it up and gently press it into the sides of the pan.
Spoon the hazelnut frangipane into the center of the dough and use the back of a large spoon to spread it across the bottom of the dough. Now arrange the apples on top. Fold the dough over the apples. Brush the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Baking the Galette
Bake the galette until the pie dough is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling a little. When it is removed from the oven allow it to cool for 1 hour before serving. Not to say you can't eat it straight from the oven, but it will hold it's shape better and you won't burn your tongue.
I normally bake galettes free form - meaning no pan to hold the shape of the galette, but I decided to try baking it the cast iron pan. One because I like the look of the galette in the cast iron and two, I was hoping that the pan would make the bottom of the galette extra crispy. Which it did.
If you don't have a cast-iron pan, I recommend getting the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. It's a great all-around pan to have in your kitchen. We use ours all the time. But you can still bake this galette on parchment paper on a baking sheet. The baking time should still be about the same. When the galette is finished it can be served directly from the pan. Share it with friends and serve it with ice cream, whipped cream or just by itself.
Happy Baking and Happy Eating!
More Apple Desserts
If you love apple desserts like I do check out these other recipes on the Bakes by Brown Sugar Blog:
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Apple Galette with Hazelnut Frangipane
Equipment
- 10-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
Pie Dough
- 2 1/2 cups (380 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 20 tablespoons (284 grams) cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1/2 cup ice-cold water or more if required.
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Hazelnut Frangipane
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) ground hazelnuts or hazelnuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
- 1 tablespoon (10 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 (50 grams) large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 3 large apples peeled and quartered
- 3 tablespoons (37 grams) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Egg Wash
- 1 (50 grams) large egg
- 2 teaspoons milk or heavy cream
- Turbinado sugar
Instructions
Make the Pie Dough
- Put the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Place the flour mixture into a food processor.
- Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse the dough until it is coarse and crumbly, and the butter is about the size of peas.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of ice water and use a rubber spatula to toss together. Add the remaining water and mix into the dough until it starts to come together. It will still be slightly crumbly or shaggy but will hold together when squeezed into a ball. If more water is needed add a tablespoon at a time.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press the dough together, folding it over on itself until it starts to hold together. Try not to work the dough too much or it may become and overdeveloped and tough.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and shape each piece into disk 1-inch thick. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes. I use one disk for this recipe and freeze the other for another dish. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 2 months.
Make the Hazelnut Frangipane
- Hazelnut Flour: Put the hazelnut flour, sugar, all-purpose flour, salt and cinnamon a bowl and whisk until the mixture is well combined.
- Whole Hazelnuts: In a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, place the hazelnuts, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt and process until the hazelnuts are very fine. Empty the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl with a handheld mixer beat the butter until creamy. Beat in 1/2 the hazelnut mixture until incorporated, then beat in the egg. Add the remaining hazelnut mixture and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
Assemble the Galette
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk together. Cut each apple quarter into 5 slices. Keep the slices together and place in a large bowl.
- Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and roll into 12-inch circle. Fold the dough in half and lift it into the cast iron skillet. Unfold it and gently press the dough in the bottom and the sides of the skillet. Spread the hazelnut frangipane across the bottom the dough.
- Arrange the apples across the bottom of the dough. To get the look featured in the recipe keep the apple slices together and arrange the group in a pattern of your choice. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the apples.
- Fold the edges of the dough over the apples, creating overlapping folds as you work your way around the dough. Whisk the egg and the milk together. Brush the dough with the egg wash, including under the dough folds. Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.
- Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until it is golden brown. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes to ensure even browning. Remove it from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
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