If you’ve never tried an apple and pear galette with apple cider caramel sauce, you’re in for a treat! A galette is a rustic, free-form tart that’s easy to make and always looks impressive. The crowning glory is a luscious caramel sauce made with apple cider that’s drizzled generously over the warm galette.
Why you will love this Apple Galette Recipe
An Apple Pear Galette is much smaller and easier than making an apple pie. Topped with apple cider caramel, it is transformed into the BEST fruit dessert ever. So if you want a smaller fabulous dessert that’s easy peasy, try a galette. If peaches are in season then try a galette with peaches and rhubarb.
By the middle of December, I have had about all the rich desserts I can take. Of course you still have so many occasions left in the month where you need a dessert recipe. This is your answer, the perfect fruit dessert.
A flaky galette with an apple pear combination that is just slightly sweetened and then topped with the most amazing caramel you’ve ever tried. It’s simple to make but looks like it takes a lot of work.
What is a galette?
If you’re not familiar with a galette, it’s like a rustic pie made on a baking sheet instead of in a pie pan. The filling can be sweet or savory like with a chicken pot pie galette or a butternut squash galette. It works well for fruit as you can just add whatever fruit you like with minimal filling ingredients.
What is the difference between a galette and a pie?
The only actual difference is the pan that is used. My tomato pie recipe can be made in a pie pan or as a galette. Cream pies and pies that aren’t baked won’t work as a galette.
Tips for making a Caramel Apple Galette with Pears
I use the same crust for any galette but add just a little sugar, it is dessert after all. This recipe never lets me down regardless of the filling.
Galette Recipe Variations
For the filling, I used a combination of apples and pears, you can just use apples but I would not suggest just using pears.
The pears are going to be so juicy that it will be mushy. However, adding some sturdier apple slices gives it just the right texture and you still have the sweet pear flavor mixed in.
How do you cut apples for galettes?
Try using a mandolin to slice them, but a knife works fine. You’ll need to slice the pears a little thicker than the apples since they will cook quicker. If you don’t have a mandolin, ask for one for Christmas. They are not expensive and you can use them for so many things. I’ve had mine for years and love it. Until then, just practice your knife skills and try to cut them as thin as you can.
For a galette, I roll out the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper then slip a cookie sheet underneath it and place it in the refrigerator until I’m ready to fill it.
Apple Cider Caramel – The BEST way to top an Apple Pear Galette
Now for the BEST part of this recipe, APPLE CIDER CARAMEL. This is going to change your life. I made this the first time for Thanksgiving, and the rest of the weekend we were putting the left-over caramel on everything we could think of.
It has a slightly tart taste from the apple cider that is perfect on the apple pear galette but also good on a biscuit or toast, or with apple slices or pretzels, you get the picture. It’s not hard to make, it just takes a few minutes. You don’t even have to stir it until the last few minutes.
Apple Pear Galette ingredients
- Pie crust – it’s easy to make your own, but you can also use a premade piecrust that comes in a roll so that you can roll it out.
- Sanding sugar – this is sugar that has larger granules than white sugar.
- Apple – use a firm crisp apple that will hold their shape in baking like fuji, honey crisp, or granny smith.
- Pear – it should be ripe but not overripe.
- Lemon zest – this will brighten up the flavors of the fruit.
- Apple Cider– you will use this for the caramel sauce.
- Pantry items – butter, cornstarch, cinnamon, brown sugar and cream
What apple are best for a galette?
The apples for a galette should be a type that will maintain their shape when baking especially since pears are much softer. Traditionally you would use a granny smith, but I prefer fuji or honeycrip.
How to make a Pear Apple Galette
Step 1: make the pie crust
Make a traditional pie crust with a little extra sugar and roll it out onto parchment paper. Place it in the refrigerator while preparing the filling. You can also use a prepared pie crust.
Step 2: slice the fruit
Thinly slice the apple and pear. Slice the pear thicker than the apple. Combine with sugar cinnamon, lemon zest and cornstarch.
Step 3: assemble
Place the fruit in the center of the rolled out pie crust and fold the edges over the fruit and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Step 4: finish
Brush the pie crust with an egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Add some butter to the top of the fruit and bake.
How to make Apple Cider Caramel
Bring 2 cups of apple cider to a boil in a saucepan and let it cook down, this takes about 15 minutes or so. Once it’s down to about 1 cup, add some brown sugar and butter and let it thicken, this won’t take long and you’ll need to watch it at this point so that it doesn’t get too thick.
It will continue to thicken once it cools so you’ll take it off the heat as soon as it starts to thicken. Then add just a little cream. You can make this days in advance and just heat it up in the microwave before you drizzle it over the galette.
This is a great dessert when you want to serve a something special but don’t want a dessert that’s too heavy or rich. I think you’re going to love it.
How to serve Apple Caramel Pear Galette
Serve this galette with an apple caramel topping or a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
How to store Apple and Pear Galette
With the juicy fruit the crust will soften within a day. You can store it on the counter or in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Should you refrigerate a galette?
You can refrigerate a galette, just like you can a pie. However, it is not necessary unless you are storing it for more than 2 days.
Apple Galette Recipe FAQs
Galette dough is the same as pie dough. For a dessert galette, you can add a little sugar to the dough but it is not necessary.
You can’t partially bake a galette before adding the fruit like you can a pie. So the best way to keep the bottom from getting soggy is to refrigerate the dough for a few minutes before baking.
I would not recommend making a fruit galette in advance. The juices from the fruit will absorb into the crust and it will be soggy.
More apple desserts
Adapted from the NY Times
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Apple and Pear Galette
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons butter cold cut into pieces
- ⅛ cup ice cold water
- ½ tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- sanding sugar
Filling
- 1 large crisp Apple Pink lady/Fuji
- 1 Bartlett Pear
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter cut into pieces
Caramel
- 2 cups apple cider
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Pastry
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add cold butter and pulse until it is combined with some larger pieces of butter. Add ice water and vinegar and pulse until it comes together. Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400º.
Filling
- Peel and core an apple and pear and use a knife or mandolin to cut very thin slices. Make the pear slices slightly thicker than the apple slices. In a bowl, toss apples, pears, sugar, corn starch, lemon zest and cinnamon together.
- Place pastry on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, and roll into a 12 inch circle. Top with the prepared fruit in concentric circles leaving a 1-2 inch border. Lift and press the edges up over the fruit, folding as needed. Place the parchment onto a rimmed baking sheet. Chill for 10 minutes.
- Brush the border with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Dot the fruit with butter. Bake until the filing is tender and the crust is deep golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Caramel
- Bring apple cider to a boil over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Boil until it is reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Add brown sugar, butter and salt and stir to combine. Reduce heat slightly and continue to cook whisking often until it starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the cream and set aside to cool. The caramel will thicken as it cools.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- If the pastry gets too soft to handle, place back in the refrigerator to cool slightly.
- If there is any juice in the bowl with the fruit, throw it out.
- If the caramel gets too thick, thin it down with some apple cider.
- You can make this without the pears but you can’t leave out the apples, the pears will be to soft.
Nutrition
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