Best laid tart-baking plans
I made this Savory Apple Galette the first day I felt like baking since the spring. At the beginning of each summer, I resolve to be one of those women who make beautiful tarts with stone fruits, tomatoes, and berries. I picture myself in a park, with a perfect picnic, complete with rosé and a gorgeous tart.
In this fantasy, I have a beautiful dress that I will never spill on, and my hair is glorious. I might even be taller. My life would be perfect, if only I would make the damn tart!
With precious few exceptions, however, I never bake in the summer. It’s just too hot, fantasies of what could be achieved by tart baking be damned.
I love summertime fruits, I just don’t bake tarts with them
Even with air conditioning, I cannot bear to turn on my oven when the mercury soars. I absolutely adore summertime fruits (I would come home from the farmer’s market with a gagillion dollars’ worth each week), but they tend to go into a bowl of yogurt or in a salad. I made a peach and tomato bruschetta once this summer—that’s sort of cooking (it was delicious)?

Enter A Savory Apple Galette in October
October, however, has brought a chill in the air, and, with it, a desire to bake again. I got some fantastic apples from Kimball Farm at the Union Square Farmer’s Market this week, and I had some leftover Shallot Cranberry Confit (even though I enjoyed several cheese courses this week). What if I made a savory tart? Or better yet, a galette (think a lazy tart).
And so, dear reader, I did. You should have smelled my apartment yesterday afternoon. Baking apples, cheese, butter, and caramelized shallots. Smell-O-Vision really needs to become a thing again for videos. As does Taste-O-Vision, because this thing is tasty, but you’ll find that out for yourself!
A basic method for savory galettes
The ingredients combination in the galette is mine, but the general method came from this Food52 post on savory galettes. The recommended pie crust recipe from Four & Twenty Blackbirds is a winner that I will definitely make again, because it came out flaky and delicious despite my messing it up with a bit too much liquid. The addition of apple cider vinegar to the crust complemented the Shallot Cranberry Confit.
Autumn in New England inspires galette
In keeping with the autumnal New England theme, I used extra-sharp cheddar as the cheese, but Gruyère would work as well. If you don’t have any Shallot Cranberry Confit, you can caramelize some shallots and/or onions and you’ll be in business. Scatter the top with a few dried cranberries and a bit of brown sugar (I’d say dot with butter, but there’s butter in the confit, and there’s also cheese, and the all-butter crust is brushed with cream . . . so, let’s not overdo it, shall we?).
The end result is delicious, and makes three (maybe four) servings, using half of the pie crust recipe.
Alas, I am still the same height. Maybe it’s because I had red with my galette instead of rosé.
Recipe and video below.

Savory Apple Galette
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pie crust, half reserved for another day, chilled For the half you're using, make two disks and stack them on top of each other before wrapping and refrigerating
- 2-3 tbsp finely grated extra sharp cheddar cheese Gruyère would also work
- 3 tbsp Shallot Cranberry Confit (recipe linked above) If this isn't on hand, then caramelize some shallots and/or onions
- 1 medium apple, preferably Macoun, thinly sliced
- 1.5 tsp dried cranberries
- ½ sprig thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp brown sugar
- cream, for brushing the edges of the galette
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Roll out pie crust on a lightly floured surface and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet
- Sprinkle cheese, leaving about a 2-inch barrier so that you can fold the galette
- Top with Cranberry Shallot Confit or caramelized shallots and/or onions
- Add apples in a circular pattern
- Sprinkle cranberries, thyme leaves, and brown sugar
- Fold the galette edges in a hexagon pattern. Check to make sure that the edges are sealed to prevent leaking
- Brush crust with cream
- Bake at 400F until crust is golden, about 30-35 minutes. Start checking at 20. Serve warm, preferably with a nice glass of wine at the end of a meal
Video
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