Apple Cinnamon Galette

Less than a week until Thanksgiving! Is everyone ready? I am because we have NO plans. We celebrated early this year, so I am thinking cereal and football..ha! I am sure we will make a tasty meal, but it won't be the traditional turkey feast.

I love pumpkin blondies, cake, muffins, cookies, etc. but I am not a pumpkin pie fan. If you have family members or friends that aren't pumpkin pie crazy, try this easy Apple Cinnamon Galette. The dough can be made 3 days in advance. Just keep it chilling in the refrigerator until you are ready to roll it out. The apple cinnamon filling is also easy to prepare.

A galette is a rustic dessert, so don't worry about it being perfect. Just roll out the dough, brush on a little bit of apple butter, add the apple filling and pinch up the sides. I brushed the dough with an egg wash so it would be nice and golden brown. Serve it warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and your guests will be impressed!

This galette is the perfect, stress-free dessert to your holiday dessert table.If you want to serve a savory galette check out Gaby's balsamic onion galette. It looks amazing!

Apple Cinnamon Galette

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of ½ lemon
6 Tablespoons, unsalted butter, frozen, cut into 1/2″ pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons ice water

For the apple filling:

3 T apple butter
2 apples (I used Granny Smith), peeled, cored and sliced
Splash of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg-I used fresh

Turbinado Sugar
Egg, well beaten

To make the dough:
Add the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the ingredients until they are well combined. Take the butter out of the freezer and cut it into pieces. You want the butter to be very cold. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture. Pulse a few times, just until you see pea sized chunks. Don't over mix. Slowly add the ice water through the top of the food processor. Pulse until the dough comes together. Again, you don't want to over mix the dough. Add a little bit of water at a time. Remove the dough from the food processor once it has just come together. On the counter, pat the dough into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least for 30 minutes before using. Dough can be made three days in advance.

To make the apple filling:
Combine the sliced apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir until the apples are well coated. Set aside.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit for about 10 minutes; so the dough is soft enough to roll out. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured mat or counter, into a 14″ circle, about 1/8″ thick. Try to dust off the excess flour with your hands or pastry brush. Carefully move the dough to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush the center of the tart with the apple butter, using a pastry brush. To fill the tart, overlap the sliced apples on top of the dough in a ring 2 inches from the edge and continue towards the center. To complete the tart, fold over the edges of the dough and pinch/press the edges down a little bit. It doesn’t have to look perfect, galettes are supposed to look rustic.

Sprinkle Turbinado sugar and a little bit of extra cinnamon sugar over the apples. Brush the egg wash over the edges and sprinkle them with turbinado sugar.

Bake the galette for 35-45 minutes, or until the apples are soft and have slightly browned edges. Try to rotate the tart every 15 minutes to to make sure the galette gets evenly browned.

When the tart is done baking, remove from the oven and slide it onto a cooling rack. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you wish.

If you like this galette, you might also like:

Peach Galette from Two Peas and Their Pod

Savory Sausage and Fennel Galette from Food Blogga

Rustic Strawberry Galette from Recipe Girl

Apple Galette Kissed by Rosemary from Spinach Tiger

Zucchini Galettes from ChezUs

Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest

I never liked cranberry sauce when I was a kid. My dad used to buy the jellied cranberry sauce in the can because my brother requested it every year. I think I tried it once and was grossed out. We would always open the can and plop it onto a plate. It held the shape of the can-even the lines stayed in tact:) I am pretty sure it tasted like the can too. My brother was the only one that would even eat it.

When I got a little older I discovered fresh cranberries and was wowed by their flavor. For years I had been missing out on good cranberry sauce thanks to my brother's odd love for canned cranberry sauce. I am glad we now serve fresh cranberry sauce at our Thanksgiving feasts. (My dad still buys the jellied stuff for my brother though. I guess it is tradition...ha!).

Fresh cranberry sauce is so easy to make. I love watching the berries go pop, pop, pop in the pan:) I add orange zest and a squeeze of fresh orange juice to the cranberries. They compliment each other nicely. We like things a little tart so I don't add too much sugar, plus it is healthier:) Increase the sugar amount if you need to. It can be made a couple days in advance too, so there is no excuse to not serve the fresh stuff. It is easy and the best!

This is a great side to add to your table. It is great on leftover turkey sandwiches too. I also like to spread it on my whole wheat toast or add it to a brie panini. So many uses for this fabulous sauce! Enjoy!

Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest

(Printable Recipe)

1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup of water
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Squeeze of fresh orange juice, from the zested orange

1. Wash and pick over the fresh cranberries. Set them aside.
2. Bring the water and sugar to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the cranberries to the pan. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on the stove for about 10 minutes. You will hear the berries start to pop. This is the best part:)
4. Stir in the orange zest and fresh orange juice. Let the cranberry sauce cool to room temperature.
5. Chill in the refrigerator. The sauce can be made a few days ahead of time.

If you like this cranberry sauce, you might also like:
Morning After Cranberry Sauce Muffins from Serious Eats
Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce from Closet Cooking
Apple Strudel with Cranberry Sauce from Baking Obsession
Cranberry and Horseradish Relish from A Good Appetite

Thanksgiving Side: Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Yams, and Brussel Sprouts with Fresh Rosemary

Do you have your Thanksgiving menu planned out yet? I will be sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes this week in case you need some last minute help:) I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of the traditional Thanksgiving foods, but don't worry, I always come up with tasty things to eat:)

We celebrated Thanksgiving early this year because my dad was visiting. We had a huge feast with all of the traditional foods. I also made roasted sweet potatoes, yams, and brussel sprouts. I added red onion, garlic, and fresh rosemary too. Roasting the vegetables really brings out the best flavor. This is an easy side dish that is healthy and full of flavor. I highly suggest you add roasted vegetables to your menu this year. They are my favorite.

Roasted Sweet Poatoes, Yams, and Brussel Sprouts with Fresh Rosemary

(Printable Recipe)

2 sweet potatoes (white flesh), peeled and cut into cubes

2 yams (orange flesh), peeled and cut into cubes

2 cups brussel sprouts, washed and cut in half

1 red onion, cut into big chunks

5 garlic cloves, peeled

Drizzle of olive oil

Fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.

2. Put the potatoes, yams, brussel sprouts, onion chunks, and garlic cloves in a large bowl.

3. Lightly drizzle the vegetables with olive oil. Stir until they are all coated.

4. Season the vegetables with the fresh rosemary and salt and pepper. Stir again.

5. On the large baking sheet, add the vegetables. Make sure they are laid out flat. Place the baking sheet in the hot oven.

6. Roast vegetables for about 40-45 minutes, stirring them every 15 minutes or so. I like them a little crispy around the edges:)

7. I always remove the garlic cloves to serve, but if you want to eat them, go for it. Serve hot.

If you like these roasted vegetables, you might also like:

Roasted Vegetables from Alexandra's Kitchen

Roasted Autumn Vegetable Chowder from Pinch My Salt

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar from White on Rice Couple

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Red Onions, Rosemary, and Parmesan from Kalyn's Kitchen

Healthy Sweet Potato Fries from Two Peas and Their Pod