I’m the Johnny Appleseed for Pink Pearl apples because I plant one wherever I go. It’s my good luck tree. If I’ve got a backyard, then I’ve got a Pink Pearl. To me, they are the perfect apple: sweet-tart, great tasting raw, awesome to bake with because they hold their shape and bright fuchsia pink – I did not alter the color you see below!
Galette’s are my rustic go-to dessert for feeding a crowd. I can easily feed 10 with this galette and maybe 12 if I slice the wedges thin (and really, that’s all anybody needs after a big dinner). As far as most desserts go, this is low sugar. It’s the fruit that is the show stopper. Brown sugar and cardamom brown butter are sprinkled/drizzled over top before baking. The crust is a rich and flaky pâte brisée, similar to pie crust but with the addition of an egg yolk.
I think galette’s should be rustic in appearance. Had I not been working on automatic, I wouldn’t have even peeled the apples. I made a crazy quilt design with the slices slightly overlapping the edges. I’ve seen pictures of well manicured galettes where each apple slice is perfectly arranged over the next (as in my old Pink Pearl recipe: Tarte Fin Aux Pommes), but I don’t think you need to go there – unless of course you want to – galettes are meant to be beautifully imperfect.
And if you happen to have a two-year-old hangin’ around and looking for something to do, this is a fun recipe. I know Layla really loves to roll dough out and she enjoys sprinkling sugar over everything and anything. She also helped pick the apples. For the longest time Layla didn’t like apples but the day she helped me harvest was the day she changed her mind about the fruit.
Oh, and another fun thing to do, if you have too many apples sliced up for this recipe and not enough surface space to use them all – throw them in a small sauce pot with a little water and a little of the brown butter and make apple sauce. It’s pretty on yogurt or just by itself and kids love it!
I’m not sure why pink pearls aren’t grown commercially because they are low maintenance and the flavor is superior. Maybe it’s because the growing season is short, about two weeks. Look for them at your farmer’s market… or plant one in your backyard!