Apple Galette

From “Sheet Pan Suppers” by Molly Gilbert.

If you don’t feel like making your own pie dough here, you could substitute store-bought puff pastry — but instead of folding the sides over to make the crust, simply score the border with a sharp knife and arrange the apples inside the border. The puff pastry will puff up (duh) to form a rough crust. Easy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup ice cold water
• 4 large apples (I like Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or a mix of both)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into very small cubes
• 1 egg, beaten, or 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• Vanilla or salted caramel ice cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. To make the dough, place the flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a food processor. Pulse for about 5 seconds to combine. Add the unsalted butter and pulse about 10 times, until the butter has been processed into bits of various sizes. Pour the cold water down the feed tube, then pulse the mixture until the dough starts to come together.
2. Lightly flour a work surface. Dump out the dough onto the surface. Flour your hands and gather the dough into a flat disk; it will be a bit wet and sticky. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until firm, at least 1 hour, up to 1 day. (Alternatively, chill it in the freezer for about 30 minutes.)
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
4. Clean and generously flour the work surface and rolling pin. Unwrap the dough, set it on the surface, and roll it out to a 15-by-12-inch rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Carefully transfer the dough to the prepared pan, handling it gently. Place the pan, uncovered, in the refrigerator or freezer, to firm up the dough while you prepare the apple filling, about 10 minutes.
5. Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices in a large bowl, drizzle the lemon juice over them, and toss very gently to coat. Mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, and the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small bowl.
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator or freezer. Arrange the apple slices in tight, overlapping rows down the middle of the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Generously sprinkle the apples with the sugar mixture and dot them with the salted butter. Fold the dough border over the apples, overlapping it where necessary, to create a free-form crust.
7. Brush the exposed crust with the beaten egg. Bake the galette until both the crust and apple edges are deeply brown, 45 to 60 minutes. Let the galette cool for 5 minutes.
8. While the galette is cooling, combine the apricot jam with 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk until smooth. Brush the apples with the apricot glaze. Allow the glaze to set until no longer runny, about 10 minutes.
9. Slice the galette into big squares and serve it warm with generous scoops of ice cream. The galette also does well at room temperature alongside some coffee or tea.
10. The galette will keep, well wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil, in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.