Brown Butter Apple Pecan Galette

Hello, you people of November.

Let’s just get this out of the way now: next Thursday is Thanksgiving. And this brown butter apple pecan galette should definitely be in the running for your Thanksgiving dessert pick. Perhaps it can even claim the title win, if you feel like skipping the requisite pecan pie this year (not that I have anything against the pecan pie I just linked — quite the contrary).

Cuz this festive galette has got apples. And it’s got pecans. And it’s a pie. So, it’s everything Thanksgivingesque in one, with half the amount of effort and stress that a full-on pie takes.

We’ve been through this. But I love galettes. Because galettes are pies. They’ve got the pie crust. And the fruit filling. The only thing galettes are missing is the pie dish, and hence the pie shape.

This apple pecan galette is free form. The dough is rolled out on a piece of parchment paper, filled with the fruit, bordered up, egg wash brushed, raw sugar sprinkled, and baked straight on that parchment paper it was rolled on (on a baking sheet).

So, you don’t gotta worry about:

• fluted pie edges

• a double crust, or any of that lattice nonsense

• par or blind baking

• soggy pie bottoms

• a stressful transfer from counter to pie dish (THE WORST)

• a pie plate to clean up or bring home, if you’re transporting this dessert somewhere

• in no particular order

Okay. The pie crust for this brown butter apple pecan galette.

Firstly, it’s all butter. Obviously.

Secondly. It’s got the usual pie suspects such as flour, sugar, salt, cold butter, and cold water, and the slightly unusual addition of vodka; vodka has less water content, so it helps yield an even more flaky pie crust.

And one more thing: this galette crust has pecans in it. Yep, raw pecans get blended until crumbly and added to the pie ingredients for some extra nutty, earthy, rich flavor and crispy, crumbly texture.

This pecan pie dough is flaky and crispy and buttery and nutty and tender and rich and delicious.

And. THE BROWN BUTTER APPLE FILLING ERRRMAGASH.

Brown butter: deep, rich, caramely, butterscotchy, hazelnutty — the best.

The butter gets browned in a large skillet, the thin apple wedges get added to that skillet, along with some sugar and spice and everything nice, and you cook the mixture till those apples are succulent and tender and sweet and tart and packed with flavor and ready to be spread onto the dough.

Oh. Also. More pecans are added into the apple filling, for some more nutty, crunchy goodness.

Flaky, buttery, rich, tender pie crust. Caramely, juicy, succulent, sweet, tart, spiced, nutty apple filling. A sprinkling of raw sugar, pre-bake. A dusting of confectioners sugar, post-bake.

And you’ve got a brown butter apple pecan galette for the Thanksgiving ages. And everyday ages.

Brown Butter Apple Pecan Galette

---

Yield: 8-10 servings

Pie Crust:
1/4 cup raw pecans
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
2+ tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons cold vodka

Filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 tart apples, sliced into thin wedges
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
-Egg, for brushing
-Raw sugar, for sprinkling

1. Crust: In a food processor, pulse the pecans until coarse crumbs form. Add in the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse until combined. Add in the cubed butter and pulse a few times until butter is in pea-sized clumps. Do not mix till smooth.

2. Add in the water and vodka and pulse a couple more times until dough is crumbly and moistened, but not smooth. If the dough sticks together when pressed between fingers, there’s enough liquid. If it’s too dry, add a tiny bit more water.

3. Pack the dough together with your hands, flatten into disk, and wrap it in a large piece of parchment paper. Chill dough for 40+ minutes in the fridge or 25 minutes in the freezer. While chilling, prepare filling.

4. Filling: In a (preferably light-colored) large skillet, brown the butter: chop the butter and place it into the skillet over a medium flame. The butter will first melt before foaming and bubbling rapidly. Stir the butter frequently with a rubber spatula. After a few minutes, the bubbling will subside and golden specks will appear on the bottom of the pan and the butter will start smelling nutty. This means your butter is browned! Warning: butter should have golden/amber specks, not completely brown ones. If the butter is too browned, your butter may have a burnt/bitter taste.

5. As soon as butter starts browning, add in the sliced apples, sugar, spices, and vanilla extract. Cook for a few minutes until apples are a bit softened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in flour and chopped pecans. Set mixture aside to cool.

6. Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove dough from fridge, unwrap the parchment (leaving dough on the parchment), and flour the top of dough and a rolling pin. Roll dough out into a thin circle (doesn’t have to be perfect). Spread the apples onto the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border empty all around. Fold over the empty border of dough on top of the apples.

7. Lift the galette by the parchment paper and place it onto a baking sheet. Brush the border of the galette with the beaten egg, and sprinkle entire galette with raw sugar.

8. Bake galette for 40+ minutes, until it’s golden brown on top and bottom. Serve warm, with a dusting of confectioners sugar and scoop of ice cream if desired.