Savory Apple and Goat Cheese Galette

With caramelized shallots, honey, and thyme.

We are BACK with yet another Thanksgiving recipe! Today’s is a real showstopper: a savory apple and goat cheese galette with caramelized shallots, honey, and thyme. This is the recipe to make if you want to be THE coolest, most valued guest at the Thanksgiving table with the chicest palate. I was inspired by the nuanced mix of savory and sweet flavors you’d find in a fall cheeseboard, like apples, honey, and cheese. 

Like I said in my peach frangipane galette recipe, galettes are pie’s cooler, younger French sister. Open-faced and baked straight on a sheetpan, they truly couldn’t be easier to make -- just prep the dough the night before (or up to three days before), roll it out, and plop on your toppings. We’ll start by caramelizing our shallots in good olive oil and butter, and adding it to our goat cheese mixture along with a generous amount of thyme. Then we slice our apples and assemble! 

This galette is a truly unexpected delight, and if you make it you must let me know how many compliments you get. Let’s get in to the recipe.

Ingredients: 

Crust: 

• 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut in to small cubes 

• 2 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1/4 cup ice water

 Filling:

• 3 medium apples (I used Honeycrisp, but feel free to use a tart baking apple like Granny Smith), thinly sliced 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter 

• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced in to rings 

• 4 ounces goat cheese (softened)

• 1 tablespoon honey (plus extra for drizzling)

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 egg (for egg wash)

• 1 tablespoon milk (for egg wash)

At least two hours (but preferably at least 24 or up to 3 days) before assembling your galette, prepare your crust. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add in the butter and pulse again until incorporated into the flour. You can also do this by hand — just squeeze the butter cubes until they’re about the size of peas and incorporate them into the flour. Slowly add in the ice water one tablespoon at a time until just combined. Try to use as little water as possible — once the dough barely comes together, stop adding the water. Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and, using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into three portions, then stack them on top of each other and smush them together (here’s a good video for reference if you want to better understand what I mean). Repeat this three times. This is a faux lamination technique that will create flaky layers in our crust. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and store in the fridge to chill. It’s imperative that the dough chills before rolling out — the fats need to firm up and the dough needs to hydrate.

The next day, begin by caramelizing your shallots. Heat the oil and butter over medium heat, and stir the shallots continuously with a wooden spoon until they become jammy and fragrantly sweet: about 10-12 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F. 

Combine the shallots with the softened goat cheese, thyme, honey, and salt and pepper. Stir and set aside. 

Roll out our crust to about 12 inches in diameter (you can roll it out directly on the parchment you’ll be using for the sheet pan), rolling from the middle outward and using flour as needed to prevent sticking. If the dough becomes too warm and sticky to handle, just stick in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. 

Spread the goat cheese mixture over the surface of the dough, leaving a 2-3 inch border around the edges. Arrange your thinly sliced apples on top of the goat cheese mixture skin side up (I like seeing the colors of the skin, but feel free to peel them if you prefer). Fold in the edges of the crust to meet the filling, pinching and overlapping as necessary, and brush with egg wash. Transfer the galette to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until the edges are golden brown. 

When done baking, brush with extra honey. Cool before slicing and enjoy!