Le Creuset Apple Gallete with Ginger and Honey

This French inspired dessert made in the shallow casserole, is a cross between a pie and a tart. Buttery pastry lines the pan with a sweet almond, ginger, fresh fruit filling and a honey glaze. The pastry dough is simply turned over around the edges to enclose most of the filling and finished with a sugar crusting before baking.

Preparation time:  20 minutes + 1 hour resting time

Cooking time:  50 - 55 minutes 

Serves 6-8

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/ Fan 170°C/ 375°F/ Gas Mark 5
2. For the dough- Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, add the chilled diced butter and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, add the water and bring the dough together into a ball using a spatula, wrap in cling film and rest in a cool place for 1 hour.
3. Peel the apples, cut into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each quarter into 3 or 4 slices and reserve. Sprinkle the apples with 2 - 3 teaspoons of the lemon juice to prevent from browning.
4. Roll out the dough very thinly on a flour dusted worktop to a circle 38cm (15inches) in diameter. 
5. Brush the base of the casserole with a little of the melted butter and line the base and sides with the rolled out pastry, allowing the excess to stand proud of the rim.
6. Combine the ground almonds, demerara sugar and chopped stem ginger together and spoon into the pastry lined pan, arrange the sliced fruit on top in a neat circle pattern starting from the centre and working outwards.
7. Mix the honey with the lemon juice and brush over the top of the fruit.
8. Wet the inside exposed edges of the pastry with a little water and fold it into the pan, gently pressing together where the pastry overlaps. This can be in 6 or 7 places and should look quite rustic.
9. Brush the top of the turned over pastry with the melted butter and sprinkle with the extra demerara sugar.
10. Bake the gallete in the centre of the preheated oven for 50 - 55 minutes until golden brown and crisp, covering it with a sheet of loose foil, once it is nicely browned. 
11. Remove the galette from the oven and brush the apples with the stem ginger syrup. Serve warm or at ambient temperature with vanilla custard, whipped cream, honey yogurt or ice cream.

Other fruits such as apricots, plums, peaches, pears or a combination also work well. Cut fruit in ½ and remove any stones or core. Leave smaller fruit in ½ and slice larger fruit.

As well as making a tasty filling the ground almond base absorbs the juice from the fruit as it cooks and prevents the pastry from becoming soggy.

• The back of a Le Creuset silicone spoon spatula is perfect for bringing the ingredients together; it will prevent the dough becoming warm and overworked which can result in a tough pastry. It will keep your hands clean too.
• Do not be tempted to add extra water to speed up the dough formation as this will result in the pastry becoming sticky, difficult to work with and tough.
• As sand enamel is resistant to acid; the peeled apples can be placed into the upturned lid, tossed in the lemon juice and reserved until required.
• If you have not used the lid already it is also useful as a rough size guide, the circle needs to be 4cm wider around than the whole lid.
• Use a French style rolling pin to ensure a thin, equal thickness pastry disc and push together any rough edges as you roll to ensure a neat circle. 
• With sweet or enriched pastry brushing the casserole lightly with butter or coating in a light spay of baking oil will aid its release. Savoury pastry requires no preparation of the casserole but in some recipes it is used for flavour.
• If your oven has an uneven temperature turn the casserole half way through baking to ensure an even colour.
• If transferring to a serving plate allow to it cool in the casserole for a few minutes before removing as this will allow it to firm up. The dessert can be served in the casserole; the heat from baking will be retained in the cast iron which will keep it warm ready for serving.  Any leftover dessert can be stored in the casserole using the lid.