Apple Galette

Directions

1. Make the crust by blending flour and salt in a stand mixer like a KitchenAid. Add the butter and blend. Continue blending, intermittently turning the stand mixer on and off. You’re done when the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add two tablespoons of ice water and blend until the dough begins to clump together. I usually wait until the whole thing is stuck to the beater blade.
2. Remove the dough from the blade and roll it up into a ball. Wrap in clear food wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. (You can keep it refrigerated for up to two days.) Refrigerate the dough until you are ready to use it.
3. Take the dough ball out of the fridge and place it on a flat surface. Roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper into approximately an 1/8-inch-thick round. I use a large, unrimmed pizza pan that’s 15 inches across as a guide to create the round. Gently remove the top sheet of parchment. Place an inverted pizza pan (or baking sheet) on the uncovered dough and gently flip it directly on the pizza pan. Once again, gently remove the second parchment paper from the dough. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 450°F. While the dough is chilling, prepare the apples by coring, peeling and slicing them. Then, place them in a medium bowl with 2 tablespoons sugar and the lemon zest and mix well.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cover the center of the round with the apricot jam, leaving 1 – 1 ½ of the border plain. Starting from the outermost circle, begin to arrange the apple slices in concentric circles. Overlap them slightly. You’ll typically create 3 overlapping circles of apple slices and then be able to fill the center with a few more slices. Gently fold the crust to create a rustic border. Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle the edges and the apples with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
6. Place in the oven and lower the temperature to 425°F. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue baking until the crust is nice and golden, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes or so. at least 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. Makes 8 servings.