Apricot Galette with Cornmeal Crust

I've spent five springs of the last seven living off the grid in the New England woods. It's still cold there in May and early June; the spring and its flowers and fruits are slow to arrive. But part of the joy of being up there is seeing the season come in slowly-- on early hikes there are green buds, fiddleheads, rare appearances of spring ephemerals. Then the trillium comes in, jack in the pulpit, then ladyslipper, and by mid-June, the peepers have become frogs, the ferns have unfurled, and the beech trees have all leafed out. I've missed that, and living in a season that's unplugged from "technology," yet so clued in to the natural world, other people, text and the senses.

But it's also been nice to experience spring a different way, elsewhere. In Kentucky a few weekends ago, I was amazed by how green everything was, and this past weekend in Durham, the smells of the honeysuckle and peonies were overwhelming. The seasonal foods of southern climes feel new again too-- I've gotten to enjoy ramp season and red buds and early glow strawberries-- and that's been a delight. 

On a rare weekend when I was home in D.C., Morgan came over for backyard cocktails and baked goods. Though not quite local yet, I'd received some Blenheim apricots in my farm box, and Morgan had a selection of spirits from Art in the Age. With both, we opted for simplicity-- to let the flavors of the fruits and herbal liquors shine. Galettes are perfect for this in the baked goods department, and this one has few ingredients and a basic crust with a touch of cornmeal, adding a little grit and whole grain that's complimented by the pistachio pieces sprinkled on top. I kept the sugar to a minimum here-- the apricot filling still had a tartness to it, but feel free to adjust to your own taste.

Apricot Galette with Cornmeal Crust
Inspired by Apt. 2B Baking

Ingredients
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal (I used this Whole Grain Kentucky Heirloom Cornmeal)
1/2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 sticks COLD unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), cut into slices
1 large beaten egg, cold
1/4 cup ice-cold water
1/2 Tablespoon cold apple cider vinegar (I keep mine in the fridge)

For the filling:
About 8 (3 cups) fresh apricots, pitted and quartered
3-4 Tablespoons granulated sugar (depending on sweetness of the fruit)
1 teaspoon cardamom bitters (or your favorite bitters)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 large beaten egg + 1 Tablespoon Turbinado sugar, for egg wash
2 Tablespoons finely chopped pistachios, for topping (optional)

Directions
1. For the crust: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork and knife, cut in the butter. You want to make sure butter chunks remain, as that's what makes the crust flaky.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the COLD liquid ingredients (Using cold liquids ensures that your butter will not melt--another crucial detail for a flaky crust).

3. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour-butter mixture and combine using a wooden spoon. Mix until dough comes together, but is not overly mixed (it should be a little shaggy). Form into a ball, cut in half, and flatten each half into a disc. Wrap discs tightly with plastic wrap, and let chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

4. While crust is filling, prepare filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine apricot quarters, sugar, bitters, and lemon juice. Remove one dough disc and leave other in fridge or freezer for another use. Roll out one crust disc on a piece of parchment and transfer rolled crust and parchment to a large baking sheet. 

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Ladle apricot filling onto rolled crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of Turbinado sugar over the apricots, then fold up the pastry over the edges of the filling, leaving most of the apricots uncovered. 

6. Place galette in freezer for 20-30 minutes while the oven preheats. Once chilled, remove galette from fridge and brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Bake tart in the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and pastry is golden brown. Let the tart cool completely, then sprinkle with pistachio crumbles, if desired. Serve just warm or at room temperature.



For simple Art in the Age cocktail recipes, with Root and Snap + more photos, visit Panda Head Blog. Thank you to Whole Foods P Street for the flowers and ingredients.

Related recipes:
Apricot Kuchen
Gooseberry-Apricot Pie
Italian Plum & Port Crostata
White Nectarine Frangipane Tart with Homemade Puff Pastry

Photos by Morgan Hungerford West

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Pie Cookies

It's mid-March and I'm looking out to icicles dripping from my roof and the sounds of the neighbor kids having a snow ball fight on their snow day. Signs of spring have been showing themselves--I've spotted crocuses about town, rhubarb is claiming its place at grocery stores and farmers' markets, and spring cookbook review copies have started to appear on my doorstep-- but they've so far been slow and sparse. 

We had so much fun working on our Design*Sponge piece that Morgan and Elizabeth and I vowed to do more collaborations. All feeling the onslaught of the cold, we wanted to do something floral and springy, that might inspire daffodils and bike rides and short sleeves, if only in our minds.



I've been keen on lavender-lemon combinations, and a recipe for Tiny Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies from April Carter's beautiful book trEATs: Delicious Food Gifts To Make At Home (more on the book soon) had recently caught my eye. Morgan added a cocktail of Hendrick's gin, grapefruit juice, and rosewater, which we dubbed The Petal Pusher, and Elizabeth contributed a bright and sunny handpainted table runner. What could beckon spring better than that trio?

For The Petal Pusher recipe, visit Morgan's Panda Head Blog here and to learn how to make your own hand painted table runner, check out the tutorial on Elizabeth's tumblr. For the cookie recipe, read on!

I adapted April Carter's recipe by making the cookies a little bigger (mostly because I didn't have a smaller cookie cutter) and adding lavender buds to the dough. April calls for using Instant Royal Icing Sugar, which I had to go to a specialty cake shop to get, but you could also just make it from scratch. I didn't make my icing stiff enough to begin with, which is why the icing is a little more globby than "meringue peaked," but it still tasted good!

Lemon-Lavender Meringue Pie Cookies
Adapted from TrEATs by April Carter

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients
For the cookies:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 large egg yolks
grated zest of 2 small lemons
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons lavender buds + additional to decorate, if desired

For the "meringue" icing:
200g (7 oz.) Instant Royal Icing Sugar (also called Royal Icing Mix)
2-3 Tablespoons water
Yellow nonpareils or sprinkles to decorate, if desired

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 340 degrees F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, mix the butter and sugar until the mixture pale and fluffy. Add the yolks and mix well to combine, then add the lemon zest.

3. In another medium-size bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine. Gradually add the flower mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the lavender buds until incorporated.

4. Turn the dough out on floured surface parchment paper and knead until smooth (it can be a bit crumbly, so add a little sprinkle of water if it's too dry to work with). Roll out onto the parchment until it is about 1/4 inch thick (you may have to do this in 2 rounds, depending on the size of your surface). Place another sheet of parchment on top of dough, transfer to the baking sheets, and chill in the freezer about 10 minutes.

5. Remove the dough from the freezer and cut into 2'' circles using a fluted biscuit cutter (or cookie cutter of your choice). Transfer to the lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer another 10 minutes before baking.

6. Bake cookies in the oven for 3-5 minutes until firm yet still pale. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

7. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Mix the Instant Royal Icing Sugar (or make your own royal icing from scratch) with the water to form a smooth paste for piping. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with the 1M star icing tip. Ice a single peak on each cookie and sprinkle with non pareils and lavender buds to decorate. Allow to set hard before packaging.



Related recipes:
Dark Chocolate Lavender Tart with a Lemon Cardamom Crust
Lemon-Ginger Meringue Tartlets
Lemon Meringue Pie

Photos by Morgan Hungerford West