apple, cheddar, broccolini & shallot galette.

i’m back with a deeeelicious recipe that i made back in october and was soo excited to share it then. but, i ran off and got married and went on some fun trips and have just been all around holiday season preoccupied!

but hot damn this is the little galette that could. i wish i had made two, because pete and i totally woofed this down for dinner that day.

i love all the flavors and textures going on - soft (but crisp!) juicy apples, melty sharp cheddar, hearty broccolini bits, tangy shallots all on the most flaky, buttery, tasty crust.

this pie crust/galette dough recipe reigns from kitchen queen alison roman’s cookbook, dining in.

when i saw “the only piecrust” as the title of her crust recipe i was like welp. look at that confidence. i trust this bish. and then the fact that it has apple cider vinegar quickly convinced me to use it for this apple galette that i had in mind.

fast forward to the end of october, i was in new york city with my friend whitney (again!), and we were enjoying the best pizza & wine at rubirosa on the lower east side. then in walks the alison roman herself. she was standing at the host station and we were at the bar, which are somehow right next to each other - she was in an arm’s reach of me on 2 glasses of red wine…………. aka the danger zone.

i had JUST made her piecrust recipe earlier that week and pete and i had been going nuts over it. so in classic quinn word vomit fashion, i tapped her on the shoulder and told her “HEY I LOVE YOUR PIECRUST.” lol.

somehow this did not alarm her in any way - she’s very recognizable and her cookbook has been the jam for the last year. i went on to tell her i made it that week and used it for a galette. she was very sweet and appreciative that i made her recipe and loved it!

loved it so much i just had to be a bugaboo in a restaurant about it. oh wellz. these are the days we’re living in, i guess. 🤷🏻‍♀️ ok to go up to a complete stranger and profess your love for their piecrust. the internet is weird.

so anyway holy moses this galette combination is so so so good.

and it’s really so simple. don’t be alarmed by the long prep time - it’s just that the dough needs to chill a couple hours before you roll it out and bake it.

galettes are so freaking versatile, but peter & i both loved this version that feels very fall/winter. also, apples & cheese and broccoli & cheese are just classic combos - put it all together with those zingy shallots on top and yum yum YUM.

also, galettes are supposed to be rustic. don’t fret about making them look perfect AT ALL. it is like pie’s lazy sista. the messy top bun of baked goods, if you will.

i have to rave one more time about alison’s pie crust recipe. i have made lots of versions of basic pie crusts from scratch - and this one is just as easy, but i think its all the ratios and the apple cider vinegar that sets it apart.

pleeeease try it!

i think i should arm our fridge with stacks of chilled-ahead disks of galette crust at the ready because once you make one, your brain will race with all the other combinations you can make.

sweet, savory, or sweet + savory!

galettes are also a great vehicle for clean-out-the-fridge/pantry days. random-potato here, rogue-onion there, gotta-use-that-peach here, getting-sad mushrooms there. not to mention cheeses that are lingering in your cheese drawer!

i dare you to just throw whatever’s in your fridge/pantry on this crust and not like it.

also have you even SEEN all the sweet galette recipe ideas topped with ice cream?? yeah.

Apple, Cheddar, Broccolini & Shallot Galette

Makes 1 Galette (Crust Recipe from Alison Roman’s ‘Dining In’ Cookbook, “The Only Piecrust” recipe - halved here)

Active Time: 25 minutes, Chill Time: 2 hours, Bake Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours (you can make dough in advance and refrigerate)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

• 1 tsp. sugar

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (10 TB), cut into 1-inch pieces, chilled

• 1/2 TB apple cider vinegar

• 1/8 - 1/4 cup ice water

For the toppings:

• 1 large Fuji or Honeycrisp apple, cored & sliced thinly (I used more than half the apple)

• 1 heaping cup freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

• a few small heads of broccolini, cut into bite-sized florets

• 1 small shallot, sliced thinly

• 1 egg + 2 tsp. water, for crust eggwash

Instructions-

Make the dough/crust ahead of time to allow a couple hours to chill, or chill overnight:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar & salt. Add the chilled butter cubes and toss to coat in the flour mixture, then use your hands to smash the butter between your fingers. Incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it appears shaggy and flaky.

Combine the vinegar and the ice water and drizzle it over the flour + butter mixture. Run your fingers through the mixture to evenly distribute the water through the flour until the dough starts coming together.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the combined dough a few times to gather up and incorporate any dry bits. It will not be smooth or shiny. Knead the shaggy mass with your palms a few more times, then pat into a flat disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap the disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Put it all together:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Roll out chilled galette crust on a lightly floured work surface until it’s about 1/8 inch thick, depending how big/small, thick or thin you’d like your galette to be.

Grate the cheddar cheese, slice the apple, cut up the broccolini and slice the shallot. In a small bowl, whisk one egg and add 2 tsp. water and whisk again. Set aside for egg wash.

Leaving about 2 inches around the edges of the galette crust so you can fold it over, add your toppings to the center of the dough. Start with sharp cheddar cheese, layers of thin apple slices, another layer of cheese, broccolini florets, and shallot slivers.

Gently fold over the edges of the galette inward. This step does not have to look perfect - just create a pocket to hold all the toppings in.

Using the prepared egg wash, brush the external crust edges until they’re evenly coated in the wash. Discard remaining egg wash. Top with another layer of sharp cheddar cheese all over and transfer the galette to the prepared parchment on the baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Use a large knife to cut into triangles.

Serve immediately or same-day! This is a great appetizer for a gathering or dinner party.

qp

chai blondies with pumpkin cream cheese frosting.

would you like a bite of fall?

these blondies are exploding with fall flavor. they taste and smell like the months of october, november, and december combined.

make your own chai blend! this has been so cozy to have extra around for sprinkling on various thangs. it smells amazing, and it’s pretty to boot.

adding the chai spice to hot water with some raw sugar is a super easy instant chai tea and is super spicy and flavorful. it would also be amahzing in hot apple cider, on ice creams, on oatmeal, yogurt, etc etc etc!

the blondies are made with olive oil, which is pritty kewl. you can make them with butter if you prefer. the texture will be delightful either way.

i know there are two very serious camps of pro-nut and anti-nut in dessert people - but i just think these are sooo great with chopped walnuts within. they’d also be delicious with hazelnuts or macadamia nuts. if you’re an anti-nut, leave em out. wahhhhh. :(

boy. i had no idea how tricky this frosting would be when i decided to make it pumpkin cream cheese. sounds simple, yeah? whell, it took me 3 tries to get it right.

i’m super glad i didn’t throw in the towel, because the final product turned out mega deliciouuuus.

i was getting way confident in how much pumpkin purée i could throw into the frosting……turns out, that just ain’t allowed. unless you fancy grainy glop on your brownies and/or cakes.

never fear, failed frosting #1 actually ended up becoming a pumpkin sweet bread recipe the next day with a bit of tweaking, haha. i do not like to waste.

you can only add barely TWO TABLESPOONS of pumpkin to the frosting. or else, grainsville. my first attempt - i put in 1 CUP of pumpkin. lololol. what a mess. also, sifting the powdered sugar is very important.

then use pumpkin pie spice and the chai spice blend to bring out that pumpkin flavor without adding any extra liquid to the frosting.

the bars are perfectly chewy and spiced like chai - with some bits of walnut, which i love. and the frosting has a combination of sweet and sour(ish) flavors with the pumpkin, powdered suga and cream cheese.

these are an all around fall’s delight.

Chai Blondies with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 9 Bars (8 x 4 pan for 1” thick blondies)

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Blondies - (slightly adapted from Molly Yeh!)

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 1 1/2 tsp. chai spice blend (make the spice blend separately, then add 1 1/2 total tsp. of the combined spices)

Chai Spice Blend - (easily multiplied or halved - store in airtight container)

• 2 tsp. ground ginger

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice

• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting -

• 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (half stick), room temperature

• 2 1/2 TB. pumpkin purée

• 1/2 tsp. chai spice blend

• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted!

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions -

Make the blondies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 4 inch (for 1” thick bars) or 4 x 4 inch pan (for 2” thick bars) with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. If doubling the recipe, use an 8 x 8 inch square pan and also about double the bake time.

In a large bowl, combine the dry base ingredients for the blondies. In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Make the chai spice blend in a completely separate bowl or container to store for later. Chop the walnuts.

Add 1 1/2 tsp. of the chai spice blend to the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl and stir to combine. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Spread batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the blondies comes clean. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully lift the parchment to set blondies on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting:

In a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the pumpkin purée and mix again (DO NOT add more pumpkin than the recipe calls for - frosting will turn very grainy as a result). Add the chai blend and pumpkin pie spice to bring out the pumpkin flavor.

SIFT the powdered sugar before slowly adding to the mixing bowl. Sifting is key to keeping the frosting smooth. Continue to mix/whisk on medium speed until all the powdered sugar is added and frosting is fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt and mix for a couple more minutes.

Lift the cooled blondies onto a large cutting board. Use spatula, butter knife, or offset spatula to spread the frosting onto the blondies. Carefully cut into squares with a large knife. Serve same-day!

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

qp