Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Free form galettes are probably one of the pastries that I love best.  I love the rustic beauty of them.  I saw a picture of this rendition on Pinterest, which is one of my new obsessions.  Pinterest is a virtual pin board where you can pin up pictures that you find on the internet.  You can categorize your boards if you wish.  I have pin boards for food that I would like to try, pin boards for places I would like to visit and many other categories.  This picture had a link back to the site where you can find the recipe.  In this case it was Better Homes and Gardens.

I love that this is a savory galette.  The pastry has smoked Gouda cheese blended into it.  You can see the flecks of cheese in the finished crust.  The pastry is spread with Dijon mustard.  Good quality ham slices are placed on it and then apple slices drizzled with melted butter and apple jelly.  This is absolutely perfect for Fall.  The recipe makes six individual galettes.  We had them for dinner last night with a simple salad.

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APPLE, HAM, AND SMOKED GOUDA GALETTES ( Better Homes and Gardens )

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 to 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter, cut into small pieces
4 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice water
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, halved, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons apple jelly, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
12 slices smoked ham
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of salt

In a food processor combine flour, sugar, baking powder, pepper, and the 1 teaspoon salt; cover and pulse with a few on/off turns to combine.  Add the 1 1/2 cups butter; cover and pulse with several on/off turns until the largest pieces of butter are no bigger than a small pea.  Add cheese; cover and pulse with a few on/off turns to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a very large bowl.  Gradually add 1/2 cup of the ice water, stirring with a fork until combined.  Squeeze a small handful of the dough together (it should easily hold together without crumbling apart).  If necessary, add enough of the remaining 1/4 cup ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough holds together, stirring between additions.  Gather mixture into a ball, kneading gently until it holds together.  Transfer to a cutting board; cut into six equal portions.  Place each dough portion on a sheet of plastic wrap; fold the plastic wrap tightly over the ball.  Pat each plastic-wrapped dough ball into a 4-inch disk.  Chill for 1 hour to 2 days.

For the galettes, place apple slices in a large bowl.  Add the 1/4 cup melted butter, the apple jelly, and lemon juice; toss to combine.  Line two extra-large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

On a well-floured surface, roll a pastry disk to a 9 to 10 inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick.  Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mustard over dough circle.  Overlap two slices of the ham in the center of the dough circle; arrange one-sixth of the apple mixture over the ham, making sure to leave a 3-inch border uncovered.  Fold dough edges over apple slices, loosely pleating the dough and leaving apple slices uncovered in the center.  Using a spatula, carefully transfer the galette to a prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough disks, mustard, ham, and apple mixture, placing three galettes on each baking sheet.  Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Arrange one oven rack in the upper-middle position and another oven rack ing the lower-middle position of the oven.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl beat together egg, the 1 tablespoon water, and the pinch salt.  Using a pastry brush, brush the egg mixture over the edges of each galette.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the dough is colden and the apples are tender.  Cool slightly on wire racks.  Serve warm.

Printable recipe

ORZO WITH PARMESAN AND BASIL

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.

Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed about 15 to 20 minutes.

Mix in chopped basil and Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a shallow bowl.  Garnish with basil sprigs.  4 servings.

We are proud to welcome Cameron Michael into our family.  He was born on Feb. 14th and weighed in at 7 lbs and  measured 19″ long. 

Cameron with his beautiful Mother.

 Cameron and his proud Father.

Joyful parents

The Happy family.

Most of these pictures were taken by Christobal of Azul photography.  He is a renowned photographer and a great friend of Michael and Kristen’s.