At this time of year in the countryside, there are apples everywhere, said Abby Allen. Sadly, many of the apples produced are wasted – if not picked and consumed, they will slowly be broken down by wasps, moths, aphids and caterpillars. This recipe is a real celebration of autumn. It’s a sweet–savoury combo that I find incredibly moreish, and it works equally well hot from the oven as it does cold as leftovers, giving you plenty of flexibility for how and when you want to serve it.
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
- 50g grass-fed butter
- 3-4 small shallots, quartered
- 250ml dry cider
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 200g mature clothbound cheddar cheese, grated
- 3 eating apples, cored and finely sliced
- 1 organic and/or free-range egg yolk, beaten
- a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pastry:
- 250g stoneground spelt flour
- 175g grass-fed butter, cold and sliced into cubes
- a large pinch of flaky sea salt
- 50g unbleached granulated sugar
- ½ tsp thyme leaves
- cold water, as needed
Method
- First, make the pastry. Blitz the flour, butter, salt, sugar and thyme in a processor, then carefully add a little cold water until everything comes together into a dough. Wrap the dough in a muslin or beeswax wrap and leave in the fridge for an hour.
- For the filling, melt the butter in a cast-iron pan over a medium-high heat. Season the shallots with salt and pepper, and place them face-down in the pan. Fry for 4-5 minutes, until caramelised on one side. Turn the heat up and pour in the cider, allowing it to bubble up, simmer and reduce by half, then turn the heat right down and cover. Leave the shallots to cook gently for a further 5-6 minutes.
- Once the shallots are tender, gently lift them out of the pan and set to one side. Add the mustard to the pan and simmer until you have a thick, glossy reduction.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the pastry dough, roll it out into a large circle and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Leaving a border roughly 3cm, scatter most of the cheese over the pastry. Add the apple slices, arranging them evenly around the galette, then arrange the shallots on top, fanning them out from the centre. Pour over the cider sauce.
- Fold the edges of the pastry up around the filling to partially cover, then brush the exposed pastry with the beaten egg yolk. Scatter over the thyme leaves and remaining cheese, then bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Let the galette cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack. Season with salt and pepper, then slice and serve with a sharply dressed salad.
Taken from "The Farm Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes from Field, Coast and Garden" by Abby Allen.
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