Cider Cooked Apple, Onion and Cheddar Galette

I was inspired to cook with cider again after the Pears Roasted in Cider recipe and I think this Cider Cooked Apple, Onion and Cheddar Galette is a worthy follow up recipe. It is on the rich side but so delicious and could be a stunning dish to kick off a dinner party. Or as a lunch served with a crisp salad to offset the richness as suggested by Delicious Magazine where I saw the recipe originally.

The pastry of the galette is rich and buttery with a bit of a crunch coming from the polenta. It does not have to be rolled perfectly, galettes are rustic tarts so the odd tear in the pastry does not matter and you can patch as far as you go. The filling does not have much liquid so it shouldn’t really leak. The pastry is quite crumbly so I found it easier to roll out between two sheets of baking paper and then moving it on to the baking sheet. I am terrible when it comes to working with pastry so found this the easiest way to keep it from from breaking when placing on the baking tray. As mentioned, as you fold the pastry edges once the filling is in the middle, it will break but just patch it as you go, this is a rustic tart.

Another tip I learnt over the years is to add a good pinch of salt to the onions when frying so it does not catch and burn when caramelising. The flavour of the galette is excellent. Buttery pastry, sweet with a bit of acidity onions and apples with the salty richness of the cheese make for a delicious combination.  Enjoy!

Some good news to those readers who have asked, our next Food Photography Workshop will take place on Saturday the 23rd of September 2017. It falls on a long weekend so I hope it will make it easier to fit in with busy schedules. Our goal for the day is to create a space where we all can play, learn from each other and have a lot of fun doing it. Come be inspired, get creative, get more comfortable with your camera and most importantly play. All the details can be found here and do let me know if you would like to join us for the day at the most beautiful location.

Cider Cooked Apple, Onion and Cheddar Galette

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Ingredients

  

• Pastry:
• 165 g plain flour plus extra to dust
• 100 g polenta
• ½ tsp salt
• 165 g butter chilled and cubed
• few tbsp iced water
• 1 medium free-range egg beaten, to glaze
• Filling:
• 3 tbsp Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 large onions peeled and sliced
• pinch of salt
• 4 eating apples. cored and sliced
• 300 ml dry cider at room temperature
• 300 g grated Kasselshoop Cheddar Cheese
• good pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1½ tsp hot mustard powder
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs leaves finely chopped, plus extra to garnish

Instructions

 

• Put the flour, polenta and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blitz a few times to combine
• Add the butter and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
• Add the ice cold water a tablespoon at a time and blitz after each addition until the dough just comes together (you might not use all the water)
• If you do not have a food processor, place the flour, polenta and salt in a bowl and mix with a spoon
• Add the butter and rub the butter into the flour with your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs
• Add the ice cold water bit by bit and use a knife to stir until the pastry just comes together (you might not use all the water)
• Tip the pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together quickly with your hands into a fat disc.
• Wrap in cling film and chill for 2 hours
• Prepare the filling by heating the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions and season with salt
• Fry for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are soft and starting to caramelise
• Add the apples and cider, turn up the heat and let it bubble for 15-20 minutes until the cider has evaporated
• Spoon the mixture onto a plate to cool to room temperature
• Heat the oven to 200 degrees C
• Combine most of the cheese (leave a bit for sprinkling before baking), cayenne, mustard powder, thyme and onion mixture, season and mix gently until combined
• Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge, unwrap, and place on a sheet of baking paper dusted with a bit of flour
• Dust the pastry with a bit more flour and place another sheet of baking paper on top and roll the pastry out to a circle shape between the 2 sheets of baking paper
• The edges of the pastry circle can be ragged
• Remove the top sheet of baking paper and place the rolled out pastry and sheet of baking paper on a large baking tray
• Spoon the cooled filling onto the centre of the pastry, leaving about a 3cm border around the edge
• Carefully fold the edges of the pastry up around the filling, it will break a bit as you fold the edges up but just patch as you go. This is rustic pie.
• Brush the pastry with beaten egg, then scatter the remaining cheese on top
• Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the cheese is bubbling
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes and serve with a green salad and glass of good wine

**Disclaimer – Cheese provided by Kasselshoop Cheesemakers  and Olive oil provided by Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I am proud to be associated with Baleia Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Kasselshoop Cheese and use it whenever a recipe allows. The South African cold press extra virgin Olive Oil is produced in the Riversdale area, has a whiff of fresh cut grass and aromas of green tomatoes, almonds artichokes and green apples.  Kasselshoop’s traditional cheese is produced on the Kasselman family farm, Klein Soebattersvlakte. The farm is situated on route to Stilbaai in the heart of “fynbos” country. Here, four generations of Kasselman’s have been breeding Jersey’s known for the rich and creamy milk they produce.

A few of my favourite savoury tarts:

Zucchini Labneh Tart

Onion Tart

Pissaladière

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