This is subtle, delicious, and not overly sweet. I love frangipane!

For Christmas, I got a subscription to Masterclass, and the Alice Waters section has been my favorite so far. I thought she was wonderful and of all the things she made, this is what I wanted to sink my teeth into. I got my husband to make it, so I have no process photos, but he made it twice, a couple weeks apart, because the dough makes extra, which is a good problem to have!

This blog post is a record, direct from her recipe notes, so we (and now you!) can keep track of it. I hope we return to it again and again.  While it seems involved at first, this is the kind of recipe, once you are accustomed to making it, becomes easier every time you do it.

(And make a half recipe of our Almond Cake with your leftover almond paste…)

Alice says…

“Galette is made over and over at Chez Panisse. The galette is always on the menu, but the fruits and fillings change with the seasons. The pastry dough originally came from Jacques Pépin and has been tweaked over the years.  The recipe makes about 20 ounces of dough, enough for 2 open galettes or tarts, or 1 covered tart. We make this dough every day at the restaurant, and we’ve included the recipe in several cookbooks. We use it for tarts both savory and sweet, of every shape and size.

To make the dough:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into ½-inch pieces
7 tablespoons ice water

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut 4 tablespoons of the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, mixing until the dough resembles coarse cornmeal. (Butter dispersed throughout the flour in tiny pieces makes the dough tender.) Cut in the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter with the pastry blender, just until the biggest pieces of butter are the size of large peas—or a little larger. (These bigger pieces of butter in the dough make it flaky.)

Dribble 7 tablespoons of ice water ( ½ cup less 1 tablespoon) into the flour mixture in several stages, tossing and mixing between additions, until the dough just holds together. Toss the mixture with your hands, letting it fall through your fingers. Do not pinch or squeeze the dough together or you will overwork it, making it tough. Keep tossing the mixture until it starts to pull together; it will look rather ropy, with some dry patches. If it looks like there are more dry patches than ropy parts, add another tablespoon of water and toss the mixture until it comes together. Divide the dough in half, firmly press each half into a ball, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, pressing down to flatten each ball into a 4-inch disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. (The dough will keep in the freezer for a few weeks.)

When you are ready to roll out the dough, take 1 disk from the refrigerator at a time. Let it soften slightly so that it is malleable but still cold. Unwrap the dough and press the edges of the disk so that there are no cracks. On a lightly floured surface roll out the disk into a 14-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick. Brush off excess flour from both sides with a dry pastry brush. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate at least ½ hour before using. (The rolled-out circles can be frozen and used the next day.)

To make the frangipane:

Makes ½ cup.

Frangipane is a culinary term of complicated history and imprecise meaning (“almond-flavored mixture” comes close). This frangipane recipe is for a fluffy almond butter that the Chez Panisse dessert kitchen finds indispensable, using it as a base for plum, fig, orange, apple, and pineapple tarts.

3 ounces (⅓ cup) almond paste
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon flour
1 egg
1 pinch salt

Blend together the almond paste and sugar with an electric mixer or beat together by hand. Beat in the butter. Mix in the flour, egg, kirsch, and salt and beat until fluffy. Keeps for one week, refrigerated.

To make the galette:

10 ounces galette dough, rolled into a 14-inch circle
¼ cup frangipane (recipe above)
2½ pounds flavorful apples, quartered, peeled, and cored (peels and cores reserved)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place a pizza stone, if you have one, on the center rack.

Remove the galette dough from the freezer or refrigerator and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or pizza pan. Spread the frangipane in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at the outside edge. Slice the apples ¼-inch thick. At the outer edge of the tart shell, arrange apple slices in a slightly overlapping ring 1½ inches in from the edge of the dough. Working inward, arrange the remaining apples in tightly overlapping concentric circles, each smaller than the one before, until you reach the center. Rotate the tart while twisting and folding the overhanging dough over onto itself at regular 1-inch intervals, crimping and nudging the folded dough up against the apples and containing them within a border that resembles a length of rope. Gently brush the melted butter over the apple slices and onto the dough border. Evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the buttered pastry edge and another 3 tablespoons sugar evenly over the apples.

Bake in the center of the oven (preferably on a pizza stone). Rotate the tart after 15 to 20 minutes and once or twice more as it finishes baking, to ensure even browning of the crust. Bake about 45 minutes in all, until the apples are soft, their edges have browned a bit and the crust has caramelized to a dark golden brown. Remove the galette from the oven and carefully slide it off the parchment directly onto a cooling rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes before glazing and slicing. Make the glaze while the tart is baking: Put the reserved apple peels and cores and the remaining ½ cup sugar in a saucepan, pour in just enough water to cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes. Strain the syrup and brush it gently over the finished tart before serving.

Note:  Almost any ripe fruit will make a delicious galette. Alice uses sugar that is USDA organic, non-GMO, and fair-trade certified. These labels help ensure that the people taking care of the land are paid a fair wage and using best practices for farming.”

Thank you, Alice, for your superb Masterclass!

Yum! Enjoy!