Apple Frangipane Galette

Meet my breakfast this week.  And my after-work snack. And my 10:30 pm oh-just-a-bite-won't-hurt nibble. I literally could not stay away from this thing, but why would I want to? Fat, schmat, I'm here to enjoy life while I've got it, buttery galette and all.

So let's dissect the name of this thing, shall we?  Apple - you got that. The oft-cited forbidden fruit of Eden, the modern symbol of knowledge, technology and mid-to-late 20th century British rock, the apple my eye. Frangipane is a sweet, buttery almond paste - think marzipan, but with a stick of butter mixed in. You'll wonder how you made it this far in life without it. And galette is a fancy French word for tart.

Now that we know what this is, let me tell you why you need to make this right now.  Now.  Right now.

1. It's apple season. It's been unseasonally warm here for early October, and usually we'd wait for a good hard frost before harvesting apples, but I've been picking apples from our backyard tree and the neighbor's tree (with their permission, of course) for the past couple weeks.  I just can't resist, and for baking, I actually like apples on the tart side.

2. Despite the long recipe, this is easy-peasy to make.  You can make the frangipane and the dough in advance, both made with just a quick spin in the food processor. When you're ready to bake, just roll the dough out (this dough is amazingly easy to work with), spread the frangipane over the top, spread the apples over, drizzle with butter, sprinkle with sugar, and bake.

3. This galette is a multi-tasker.  It's sweet enough for dessert, but not too sweet for breakfast. I am not above eating this for lunch and/or dinner, too, but that's coming from a woman who happily eats oatmeal for dinner. And although it's best the day it is made, the frangipane does a good job keeping the apple moisture away from the pastry, so the bottom doesn't get soggy, even on day 2.

4. Perhaps the most important reason of all: if you make this, you'll invite me over for a slice, right?

Apple Frangipane Galette
From Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz - LOVE him! Check out his blog. The only mystery ingredient here is almond paste. You'll find it in the baking aisle at your local supermarket. 

Frangipane:
4 ounces almond paste, crumbled
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. almond extract
6 Tbls. unsalted or salted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature

In a food processor, mix together almond paste, sugar, flour, and almond extract until almond paste is in fine pieces. Add butter and mix until completely incorporated, then add egg and continue mixing until frangipane is as smooth as possible. Don’t worry if there are a few tiny bits of almond paste; they’ll disappear with baking.

Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbls. sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
About 1/3 cup ice water

In a food processor, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter pieces and process until the butter is evenly distributed but still in large, visible pieces. Add the ice water all at once to the flour and butter. Mix the dough just until it begins to come together (be especially careful not to overmix the dough). Gather the dough with your hands -- don't worry if you see streaks of butter -- and shape it into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Recipe can be doubled, storing extra disk in freezer for up to a month.)

Galette:
6 medium apples
2 Tbls. unsalted or salted butter, melted
4 Tbls. sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) slices. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough into a circle about 14 inches (36 cm) in diameter. Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

Smear the frangipane over the dough, leaving a 2-inch (5-cm) border. Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles over the frangipane, or simply scatter them in an even layer. Fold the border of the dough over the apples and brush the crust with some of the melted butter, then lightly brush or dribble the rest of the butter over the apples. Sprinkle half of the sugar over the crust, and the remaining half over the apples. Bake the galette until the apples are tender and the crust has browned, about 1 hour. Slide the galette off the parchment paper and onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Storage: The frangipane can be made up to a week in advance and refrigerated. The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. The tart should be served the day it’s baked.