The first acorn hit the roof over the weekend, so fall has arrived.
No matter what the calendar says, and we've already talked about how the buckeye in the front yard is naked by the end of July, the season is official when we hear the first BANG>rattle>rattle>rattle on the roof. Jack and I have both seen and heard and been struck by falling acorns in recent days, but until we hear the first one. From inside. With music or the TV going. That's the official. Officially.
In celebration of the change of seasons, I made this pie, which is actually a galette, with two apples Mom and Dad gave us and one apple that came in our first box from Misfits Market. More on that in a future blog post.
Anyway. Here's the pie:
Isn't it pretty? The apple shape was unintentional, but when it turned out like that by happenstance, I took it as a good sign.
Galette is the easiest way in the world to do pie. When I told Mom what I planned to do with some of the apples she and Dad had just given us, she accused me of being fancy. Maybe this seems fancy because the name is French, but I've seen, and probably made, mud pies fancier than this.
The crust is a plain'old homemade crust (or use store bought - it's fine) with mostly butter and a little bit of lard rolled out in a basic circle shape with 3 apples sliced thin, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons brown sugar tossed together and arranged into rough stacks. The pastry gets snugged up tight with some loose pleats and light squeezes here and there. Drizzle the juicy stuff from the bowl over the apples, give the pastry a brush of egg wash and a sprinkle of coarse sugar, and slide that puppy into the oven for 40'ish minutes, and you have galette. I roll my pastry out on parchment then move it onto a sheet pan. Add filling. Flop the edges over. Hug around it with your hands. Boom. Pie.
Not fancy.
There's no rolling pin magic trick to get the pastry into a pie pan or crimped-edge expectation, no top crust to bungle, no trimming off the excess or guess-work about whether the inside is done yet. The most tedious thing is thinly slicing your fruits. If the slices aren't thin, the pie will be soggy. Use vegetables, like onions, peppers, and spinach, for a savory pie. Add onion powder or a spice blend to the flour for the crust to up the ante.
Jack made whipped cream, and we grated a bit of nutmeg on top. Maybe that's fancy. It certainly was delicious.
