Rustic Apple Cinnamon Galette

I have a three day Valentine’s Day weekend and was prepared to spend it mostly without my Valentine. My husband was scheduled to work straight through, but he came home on Saturday night and said he was miraculously able to take Sunday off. What a treat for me!

I wanted to make something special for breakfast Sunday morning. It is so special waking up to something baking in the oven. I had a few apples that were approaching their end of days, so I decided to use those. I also had all the ingredients for a pie crust and my ideas began to take shape. I didn’t want to make a straight up apple pie because it was too much work for a lazy Sunday morning. I decided to make a galette, or a free form rustic tart using the pie dough and apples.

I loved making this tart. There was no time push and no expectations. Tossing the apples with the cinnamon and the nutmeg and breathing in the scent, I felt them slide through my fingers. After adding the sugar, I have to admit that I snatched a few before they made it to the oven. And once it began baking in the oven, my entire space began to smell of apples and cinnamon. Add a cup of coffee, and I was in heaven.

This galette has spiced apples inside a sweet crust. It paired well with coffee for breakfast, but I could see adding whipped cream or a glaze to turn it into a dessert.

Rustic Apple Cinnamon Galette Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup Flour, plus additional for dusting
½ cup Unsalted Butter, chopped into small pieces
3 Tablespoons Sugar, plus more for dusting
¼ teaspoon Salt
1-3 Tablespoons of cold Water
Crsico, or vegetable shortening, for greasing
1 Egg, beaten 

Filling
3-4 Apples, cored and sliced thin (I used Gala)
¼ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg 
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Juice from ½ of a Lemon
Salt, a pinch

Equipment
Large Food Processor
Parchment Paper
Rolling Pin
Large Baking Pan
Pastry Brush
*Fridge Space for the crust (I’m adding this to make sure I remember to clear it out if I make this again)

Method

1. In a large bowl, toss the apples with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, lemon juice and salt until they are well coated. Set aside and let them rest and soak up the spice!

2. Using a large food processor, add the flour, butter, sugar, and salt. Process until there are small clumps uniformly spread throughout the bowl.

3. Add a tablespoon of water to the dough mixture. Process for a few seconds. If it hasn’t formed one large ball, add another teaspoon and process. Repeat as necessary. As a hint, the processor will begin to rumble as it forms one large ball of dough.  

4. Remove the dough ball from the processor and place it on top one large sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a circle that measures approximately 10 inches in diameter. The circle doesn’t need to be perfect as this is a rustic tart.

5. When dough has been rolled, place a second sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough circle. Place the dough in the fridge for about half an hour, or until the butter has hardened at the crust is a disc.

6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare the baking pan with grease and a dusting of flour. 

7. After the dough has set, remove from the fridge and peel one sheet of parchment off. Place it dough side down onto the floured baking pan. Peel off the second parchment sheet.

8. Pile the apples in the center of the pie, leaving about three inches from the edge. The pile will seem very high, but they will cook down while baking. If there is extra juice in the bottom of the bowl, reserve it for a glaze (see note below). 

9. Fold the edges of the dough over, overlapping and pinching the ends together as you go. When finished, brush the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle some extra granulated sugar over the tart, concentrating on the crust. 

This is what my galette looked like before entering the oven:

10. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until crust has a golden glow. 

*Note: If you would like to create a glaze, reserve 1-2 tablespoons of apple juice from the bowl of apples leftover in step 8. Add confectioner’s sugar a tablespoon at a time, and continue to stir until desired consistency is reached. Spoon the glaze over the galette upon serving. 

821 Cafe

Style: Cafe/ Diner
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Website: http://www.821caferva.com/ 

Likes: Eclectic and artsy atmosphere, classic menu items and ones with a twist, Sriracha on every table, parking downtown near VCU was not difficult due to roadside space, baskets on the table had creamer so I didn’t have to keep asking for me

Dislikes: Although neat, the one large table in the middle of the room provides for awkward situations

A fire engine screams by the restaurant on my quiet weekday visit, and my friend Greg walks in just as it goes by. As the siren echoes through the restaurant, he shakes his head as I say, “Way to make an entrance.”

Café 821 is a perfect place for us to catch up on our summer adventures. Greg had just spent time at a saxophone “camp” at the Eastman School of Music and I had spent the holiday with my in-laws plus my own grandmother. We had a lot to talk about.

We feel comfortable to talk in the atmosphere with its artistic touches, calm color palette, and retro tables adorned with fiesta ware.  The staff is friendly and patient as we stay there for a while. I even took a portrait picture of Greg for my photography class. Poor guy. 

With just a quick glance of the menu, I see at least five dishes that I am excited to try. Neither Greg nor I can decide on something sweet or savory, so we each get a different item and split it between the both of us.

I order the savory Bacon and Brie Omelet with grilled onions and spinach. It comes loaded with a side of crispy rosemary home fries, fruit salad, and four triangles of rye toast. The elastic cheese holds the onions and spinach together. The bacon is present, but does not seem like a feature of the dish as it is overpowered by the rest of the filling. The name is misleading. 

Greg’s choice of the Nutella French Toast is the best dish.  It comes beautifully arranged in a pinwheel, with slices of bananas on top with sprinkles with powdered sugar. The slices of toast have been sliced in half and spread with Nutella and something crunchy, quite possible hazel nuts! Therefore, each bite has a sweet complexity of Nutella, maple syrup, and bananas. It is out of this world!

Sub Rosa Bakery

Style: Bakery

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Website: http://www.subrosabakery.com/

Likes: Rustic feel, sturdy wooden boards and stoneware pottery used to plate items, best coffee I have ever had, wood fired oven

Dislikes: Someone stole the tips out of the jar when we were there

There is nothing better than starting a day off having breakfast with friends. When the breakfast turns out to be a wood fired pastry, the best gets an extreme upgrade.

Two of my fellow vacationing teacher friends gladly helped me cross this excursion off of my bucket list for this summer. We met at Sub Rosa Bakery for brunch, and were charmed by the calming rustic environment and earnest smell of baking bread floating around us.

I ordered the Manchego and Fig Croissant, a sweet treat with savory undertones. Although the pastry had a burnt looking quality to it, the soft and flaky croissant had a buttery taste that I haven’t had since I visited bakeries in New York. The taste is what matters to me.  In addition, I had an amazing cup of dark roasted coffee to compliment my breakfast. They have their own signature Sub Rosa blend, created by Lamplighter coffee down the street, which had nutty and chocolate undertones.

My friends also tried the Chilled Turnip and Dill Soup. The smooth soup had a clean finish with a soft dill taste, which was not overpowering. It was served in these adorable stoneware bowls on top of bread boards.

I was so impressed with our experience that I took two different pastries home with me under the assumption that I would give them to my husband who had been at work. They managed to stay intact until his arrival, but I definitely took a few bites once my husband began his snack. One was a Salami and Gruyere Croissant, savory with the addicting meat and cheese combination.  The other was the Pain au Chbuckocolat, filled with a deep and bitter chocolate. 

This was a most successful summer bucket list excursion, and I look forward to returning to this bakery soon. 

Mushroom Feta Mini Quiche Recipe

Preparing to move means cleaning out the freezer. Cleaning out the freezer means facing ingredients that I have put off using. Phyllo dough is one of those ingredients.

I sat down holding the box of phyllo. What do I do with it? My first idea was to make baklava, but I am trying hard no to gain any more weight than is necessary while cleaning out the freezer, so I quickly ruled that idea out. So illogically, my brain jumps automatically from dessert to quiche. How it did that, I have no idea.

This is a recipe I made 100 percent with my own knowledge of cooking. I am actually quite proud of myself. From using a new ingredient, to putting ingredients that taste well together, and projecting baking temperatures and times, I figured this out on my own. I usually take a base recipe and adjust it as necessary, but not this time!

Now that I have applauded myself, I need to add the “but.” I am very proud of myself, BUT the quiche didn’t taste exactly how I had conceived once it was out of the oven. The baking process squashed the strength of the feta, garlic, and onion. However, the tarragon was just fine, so it turned out to taste like a tarragon quiche! It was not bad, but I think I am going to toy around with the fillings for the next set of phyllo mini quiches.

So now that I just admitted that it wasn’t my favorite recipe in the world, you may wonder why I am posting the recipe below. The answer is simple. I am going to use this as a base and change the filling. Plus, it would be rotten to have taken the pictures for nothing!

Mushroom Feta Mini Quiche Recipe

Recipe yields 12 mini quiches.

Special Equipment

12 cup muffin tin

Container with a 4 inch rim (used to cut dough)

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

½ medium yellow, diced

4 oz mushrooms, diced

1 tsp garlic, minced

¼ tsp dried tarragon

1 roll of premade frozen phyllo dough (two rolls come in standard package)

5 oz feta cheese

5 eggs

¼ cup half and half or whole milk

Ground Pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Spray cooking spray into a small skillet. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and tarragon. Cook the mixture until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

3. Spray cooking spray to thoroughly coat the cups of the muffin tin. Stack five sheets of phyllo on a clean work surface (I placed them on a silicone work pad). If they are dry and cracking, moisten them with water. Press the rim of a 4 inch container into the dough to cut circles. I was able to get at least 5 cups filled per stack.

4. Place the circles inside the muffin tin (overlapping is OK). Repeat process until all muffin cups are filled.

5. Put a rough teaspoon of feta cheese into the bottom of each cup.

6. Evenly distribute the mushroom and onion mixture into the cups. Use care not to disturb the phyllo layers if they are jagged and sticking up.

7. Top phyllo cups with one last rough teaspoon of feta cheese.

8. Measure half and half or milk into a liquid measure cup. Add the eggs and whisk until the ingredients are blended.

9. Pour egg mixture gently into each cup, filling them until they are 2/3 to ¾ full. Use care to keep the mixture from spilling over the sides. It is OK for small touches of the filling to be sticking out above the egg.

10. Grind a touch of pepper onto the top of each mini quiche.

11. Bake the quiches in the preheated oven for 20 -22 minutes, turning once halfway though.

The quiches can be served hot, room temperature, or cold. 

Tomato and Sausage Breakfast Strata

 Breakfast Strata with Sausage and Tomato is something I grew up with. My Mom used to make this when I was a child at Christmas. Every Christmas morning she would make this mysterious egg casserole where the eggs had an odd, but delightful, fluffiness to them. I had no idea how she made it, but I loved every bite of it. Now that I have my own grown up self and can make my own food, I can eat this any time!

I did not realize what this mysterious egg casserole was until I watched the movie, The Family Stone, with Sarah Jessica Parker. In one scene, she is making a similar dish for Christmas morning breakfast. She is having a "tiff" with another character, and the unbaked casserole splashes up onto her and she is wearing chunky raw milk and eggs. Yum! It was then that I realized what a classic this dish was. 

Ingredients
4 cups cubed, day-old firm white or french bread (must be crunchy)
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
10 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups milk
1 package of maple sausage links, cooked and quartered
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 can of Hunts Petite Diced Tomatos
a dash of pepper to taste

Directions
1. Generously spray a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray

2. Arrange bread cubes and sausage in the dish and sprinkle with the cheese 

3. Beat together the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper, and onion powder

4. Pour mixture evenly over the cheese, sausage, and bread 

5. Sprinkle with the tomato

6. Cover and chill overnight
7. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
8. Bake the casserole uncovered until set about 1 hour - 1 hour and 15 minutes. Tent with foil if it begins to over brown. 
9. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.