Apple Galette with Cashew Cardamom Praline

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Apple Galette with Cashew Cardamom Praline

Apple season in Minnesota is short but sweet. Make it even sweeter with this elegant-yet-easy galette. The flavor of your favorite local apples is paired with a crumbly, crunchy praline that balances the apples' natural tartness with savory sweetness and warming spice.

Ingredients

For the praline:

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup cashews, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon flaky salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

For the dough:*

  • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • ¼ cup ice water, plus more if needed

For the filling:

  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large or 3 medium tart apples (about 1 - 1¼ pounds), peeled, halved, cored, and cut into very thin slices (less than ¼ inch).
  • Egg wash**
  • ½ cup praline 

Instructions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, melt the sugar over medium-high heat until no crystals remain and contents are a deep golden brown. Add the cashews, half the salt, and cardamom. Working quickly, pour the mixture onto the prepared pan, sprinkle with remaining salt and let cool for 20 minutes. Using a large knife, chop the praline into ¼-inch pieces.

In a food processor, combine the flour with the brown sugar, salt, and butter and process for about 10 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and process until the pastry comes together, about 10 seconds. You should still be able to see small pieces of butter in it.

Transfer the pastry to a work surface. Gather together and pat it out into a disc. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate until chilled.

Preheat the oven to 425° and set the racks to the lower half. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to ¼ inch thickness. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Fan the apple slices out across the dough, leaving about 1½ inches uncovered at the edges. Carefully spoon the sugar/vanilla mixture over the apples in an even layer and sprinkle with ½ cup of the praline.

Fold the sides of the dough up and over the apples by about 1 inch. Pinch a little bit at the edges to ensure they are secure and stay in place. Gently brush the edges with the egg wash and then place in the prepared oven.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are very tender, about 28 - 33 minutes. When fully baked, remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with ½ cup of the praline. Let cool for at least one hour before serving.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a few extra sprinkles of the praline.

Notes

*To save time, you may also use frozen pie dough.

**To make egg wash, combine one egg yolk with one teaspoon water and mix well.