APPLE & PEAR Galette with a Buttered Rum Caramel Sauce
Seattle’s embrace of the winter season has given us gorgeous days filled with dustings of snow, but has also left us quite incredibly chilly. Since I grew up in southern CA for most of my life I will admit that I’m likely a little more sensitive than the average Seattleite, but I think we can all agree anything below 30°F is pretty dang cold. That’s why I’m usually found staying indoors this season, roasting up a storm and baking warm treats. One such treat I recently made is this apple and pear galette with a delectable buttered rum caramel sauce. Now this galette might look like any other galette, but the exciting part was that it only took 8 minutes to bake—and even more, I didn’t use my oven to bake it.
So what did I use? Well, Panasonic recently gifted me with one of their Countertop Induction Ovens (CIO), and it worked especially well. This countertop oven can do practically anything a normal oven can so, being able to grill, bake, broil, and toast quickly and competently. It worked incredibly well for my galette, keeping the exterior satisfyingly crisp while maintaining a soft, juicy interior.
Panasonic also invited me to CES, their annual conference held in Las Vegas which kicked off early this morning. At CES, Panasonic was unveiling quite a few impressive pieces. One such mind-blowing development is their new concept kitchen, complete with interactive interfaces that heat your stove top and oven to the needed temperature before you even begin cooking. The kitchen also includes a display that guides you in real-time through cooking dinner with recipe videos. The future’s here people.
I also had a chance to see the CIO in action, where a chef cooked a perfectly seared sirloin steak right before our eyes in less than 10 minutes. I’m consistently impressed at how the CIO can produce such high-quality meals in such a short amount of time—it’s really remarkable. If you're interested in taking a closer look at this impressive machine head over to Williams-Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond, Amazon, or Panasonic.
Now if this recipe is calling your name, I’ve made sure to include instructions on how to make this galette in a traditional oven. I hope it keeps you warm and satisfied this winter season!
Thank you to Panasonic for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
Apple & Pear Galette
Yields 1, 8-inch Galette
2 green apples
2 bartlett pears
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
2 tbs melted unsalted butter
1 sheet puff pastry
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
2 tbs course sugar
1 large egg
2 tbs milk
Equipment: Panasonic CIO
METHOD
*** See below to make this galette in a traditional oven
1. Preheat oven on GRILL-Medium.
2. Peel, core, and cut fruit into about 8 wedges each. All fruit should be about the same size.
3.Toss Fruit with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and melted butter.
4. Place fruit in Grill pan and cook on GRILL-MEDIUM for 3 minutes.
5. Flip gently toss/stir fruit and grill for an additional 3 minutes.
6. Remove fruit and reserve.
7. Wipe out the grill pan and preheat the oven to BAKE 400F/220C.
8. On a small cutting board dusted with flour, cut the puff pastry into a 8’’ circle.
9. Sprinkle ground graham crackers in the center of the dough
10. Lay fruit wedges around the circle, overlapping slightly, with the thicker portions in the middle of the dough. Be sure to leave a 1’’ border on the sides of the circle.
11. Combine the egg and milk and mix well to make an egg wash. Brush Egg wash along the 1’’ border. Fold the dough edges in toward the center, over the fruit, pinching and folding it to seal the edge and create a pleated border.
12. Brush egg wash on the top of the dough border and sprinkle with coarse sugar and additional cinnamon if desired.
13. Carefully slide the assembled galette into the grill pan. BAKE for about 8 minutes or until the dough is brown and the fruit is fork tender
14. Rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve galette with a drizzle of caramel.
** if using a traditional oven preheat to 350°F. Reduce the amount of fruit, using only three instead of four. Peel, core and slice the apples and pear into 1/2 inch slices. Skip steps 4-7, and pick back up at step 8. Bake the galette for 45-50 minutes, or until crust is golden and fruit is fork tender
Buttered Rum Caramel
Yields a little over 1 1/2 cups
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons spiced rum
Equipment: Heavy bottomed saucepan, wooden spoon/spatula, pastry brush, small dish of water.
Method
Place the sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium high heat and bring to a boil. As the caramel is cooking, dip your pastry brush in a bit of water and brush down the sides of the pan to prevent crystallization. Allow the sugar and water to boil until spots of color begin to appear. When this happens do not stir the sugar, instead swirl the saucepan to even out the browning of the sugar.
After some color begins to appear the sugar will begin to caramelize at a quicker rate, so watch your caramel very closely. Remove the saucepan from heat once the caramel reaches a deep amber color.
With a spatula, or wooden spoon, slowly add in the cream, butter, vanilla, salt, and spices. The mixture will bubble quite up quite a bit, but continue to stir as until combined.
Put the saucepan back over medium low heat to help melt any parts of the caramel that may have hardened. Once the caramel is smooth, mix in the rum, then transfer to a glass jar and allow the caramel to cool before sealing.
Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.