Apple Cranberry Galette

Last Updated on March 27, 2015 by Karen

A reader asked me if I could share some simple and creative ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.  Here’s one of my favorite desserts to make with leftover cranberry sauce.

Pies are no doubt one of the best things to make from scratch.  But when you are in a rush and don’t have the time to roll out the dough, mold it nicely into a pie pan, and pinch fancy flute edges, galette is your best bet.  Since it’s supposed to be free-form, you have every permission to shape it the way you want.  The only requirement is to make sure that the entire edge is folded up, so that the juice from the filling does not leak out while baking.

Remember the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?”  Well, that can’t be more apt in this case.  There are pie crust recipes that call for shortening and promise a flakier crust as a result (which I must try one of these days), but I’ve always made this with great success.

Apple Cranberry Galette
(makes one 8″ galette)

1 cup cranberry sauce
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp water
1 pie crust recipe

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl, combine cranberry sauce, apple, cinnamon, and water.  Roll out the pie dough into a large circle (about 9″ diameter).  Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and arrange the apple-cranberry mixture in the center of the dough.  Fold the dough up around the edges.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until the crust is golden.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Galettes are meant to be rustic, but if you want to make it a bit fancy, brush the pastry edge lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar before baking.

*Store galettes in the fridge for up to 3 days.