Having a traditional, sweet dessert on Rosh Hashanah is almost a bit passé: you need a little something extra for it to be amazing. Maybe I’m just getting older, but I’ve come to realize that apple dipped in honey isn’t quite hitting the spot, and neither is your run-of-the-mill honey cake or apple pie. Life is a bit too complicated for things to just be “sweet,” and I think the finale of the Rosh Hashanah meal should reflect that.
Instead of creating a twist on an old-fashioned classic, I decided to do something a little more modern: a Salted-Caramel Apple Galette. With a light flaky crust, slices of baked apple, and a salty caramel drizzle, this is one delicious—and complex—dessert. A good amount of sweet and a tasteful amount of salt brings all the ingredients together and elevates the flavors to something better than just sweet.
Ingredients
The Crust
1¼ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp sea salt
Pinch of pepper
½ cup unsalted margarine (cut into cubes)
¼ cup non-dairy creamer
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar
¼ cup cold water
6 red apples (peeled, cored, and sliced thinly)
Salted Caramel Drizzle
⅓ cup sugar
2½ tbsp unsalted margarine (cut into small pieces)
½ tsp coarse sea salt
2½ tbsp non-dairy creamer
Directions
Start by making the crust. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in your food processor with the dough blade in it. Turn the food processor on, and gradually add the margarine, mixing between additions. In the end you should have crumbs of dough with a mealy consistency.
In a small bowl combine all the liquids for the crust. Turn the food processor on and gradually pour in the liquids until the dough is a very sticky solid.
Oil the sides of a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let the dough rise for 1 1/2 hours.
While you wait for the dough to rise, start making your salted caramel drizzle.
Place a medium pan over a medium high heat. Place the sugar in the pan, allowing it to melt and brown. After about 5 minutes the sugar should turn a deep copper color. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sea salt and margarine, stirring constantly until it is completely incorporated. Gradually add the non-dairy creamer to the pan, stirring consistently. Don’t be startled if the pan sizzles. You should end up with a solid, bronze-colored sauce. Pour the sauce in a glass bowl and set aside for later use.
When your dough is almost done rising, peel and cut your apples. Place them on a large plate or cutting board so that you will have easy access to them when laying out the dough.
Once the dough has risen, place it on a flat and floured surface and roll out until you have a circle about a foot in diameter. Place the apple slices in an overlapping circular pattern across the center of the galette, leaving about 4 inches of dough around the edges. Once the apples are in place, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and fold the “apple-less” edge over the apples, pleating the pastry together as you go.
Place the galette on a flat baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and flaky.
Take the galette out of the oven and set aside. Heat the salted caramel sauce again so that it will be easier to spread. Once warm, drizzle it in a pattern across the galette. Serve while hot.
Shana tova!
Related: Jewish Mothers Cooking: Healthy Rosh Hashanah Apple Cobbler
(Image by the author)