Apple and Cheddar Galette
I refuse to believe any slander about cheese not belonging in baked goods. Perhaps its the rebel in me going against my innate lactose intolerance. Or maybe it’s the Kool-Aid I drank for four years while attending college in Wisconsin. Somehow I’ve turned into a cheese believer (cheese-liever?), and at this point there’s no going back. Cheese is the perfect counter to sweetness: it’s nutty, salty, and fatty. That’s why it pairs so well with the apples in this galette recipe.
Let’s talk about galettes for a moment: They’re highly underrated in my opinion. Pies are delicious, don’t get me wrong, but galettes contain most of the same ingredients and take much less effort. I also thoroughly enjoy how rustic they look. While I do applaud bakers who make their own pie dough by hand, I am a huge fan of pre-made dough for galettes like this recipe. They’re already portioned into a perfect circle! How perfect for a lazy, mediocre baker like myself.
So why cheddar and apple specifically? One of my dearest friends invited me over to a craft night recently and rather than show up empty handed (gasp, I would never!), I chose to scrounge around in my fridge to see what ingredients I had on hand. Cheddar, granny smith apples, and pre-made pie crust were all neatly stowed in my fridge waiting to be incorporated in this sweet treat. As simple as that—it’s just what I had on hand. If you don’t have apples and cheddar lying around, you can sub for another pairing. Whipped ricotta and peaches, pears and gruyère. There are truly endless pairings.
Ingredients
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled
1 pre-made pie dough
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Squeeze of half a lemon or lime
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 egg for egg wash
Sugar for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prep a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat.
Thinly slice the peeled apples and put the slices into a bowl.
Add spices, flour, and sugar, and mix.
Squeeze in lemon or lime juice and mix again.
In a different bowl, grate the cheddar and set aside.
Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface.
Add grated cheddar to the dough, then add the apple slices in a spiral on top of the cheese.
Fold up the edges of the pie dough to form a crust.
Brush egg wash on the crust and dust with sugar.
Bake galette in the oven on the prepped cookie sheet for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!