Individual Heart-Shaped Apple Galettes

   I made this breakfast this morning for the children and I. They thought it was so special! But let me be honest here. This is junkfood. Delicious junk food. And I cheated on the recipe.

Here is the recipe as it appears in The Veganomicon:

Makes 6 Individual Galettes

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

A galette is a thin, freeform pie. Although here we have forced them into the shape of hearts, so they are no longer free. A thin layer of sweet, tangy apricot preserves is spread onto each crust before baking. A little sugar and cinnamon are sprinkled on top of the apple, making a lovely, simple fruit dessert with a crisp, melt-in-your-mouth crust for you and those you love. Or just you, six times.

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, or 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegan shortening
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2-3/4 cup very cold water

Apple filling:
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced very thinly (1/8" or less)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 teaspoons apricot preserves
canola oil spray

Prepare the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the shortening in three batches by the teaspoon, but you don't need to be precise with this; you just want to add it in small chunks. Cut the shortening into the flour with each addition, until the dough is crumbly and pebbly (I used to butter knives held together to achieve this)

In a measuring cup, combine the vinegar with 1/2 cup of cold water. Add the diluted vinegar to the flour mixture in three batches, gently mixing it into the dough with a fork, until the dough holds together when pinched. If need be, add up to 1/4 cup more water.

Gather the dough into a ball and knead gently a few times until it holds together. Form again into a ball and flatten just a bit into a disk. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. If you refrigerate longer, that is fine; but in that case you may need to leave it out for 15 minutes or so until you can easily roll it.

Fifteen minutes before you are ready to prepare the galette, preheat the oven to 425'F and slice your apples. Also, in a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and lightly grease a baking sheet.

On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12 x 15-inch rectangle that is 1/4" thick. It helps if you flour the rolling pin as well, so the dough doesn't stick. Use a butter knife to cut four 8" hearts from the dough. When you have done four hearts, place them on the prepared baking sheet, roll out your dough scraps, and create two more hearts. Place those on the baking sheet as well.

Roll in the edges of each heart to create a rimmed crust. You will have to do some pulling on top where the two curves meet, but it doesn't have to be too precise, as long as you get the general heart shape. Now take a butter knife and score the rolled edges on a slight diagonal to create a pretty design. "Score" just means to press gently with the knife's edge. This not only makes the crust pretty, it also secures the rim in place.

Spread a teaspoon of the apricot preserves in each crust. Starting from the top, place four apple slices on both sides of the heart, slightly overlapping, to create a fan effect. You might have to press them into the edges if there doesn't seem to be room; that is perfectly fine. The curved side of the apple slices should go along with the curve at the top of the heart.

Spray with a bit of canola spray, to keep the apples from drying out, and sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges of the crusts are golden brown.

Serve warm, with a scoop of vegan ice cream, if desired.


Now, I bet you're wondering about the "cheating" part. Well, I used premade pie crusts. The rolled kind that they sell in the refrigerator at Aldi. In fact, ALL of the ingredients in this recipe are from Aldi! Yay me! Here's the pics:

And my post wouldn't be complete without a picture of the baby eating it!