Apple + Cheddar + Thyme Galette

In high school, my buddy Andy and I would go before school to CK's Coffee Shop in Germantown. He'd pick me up in his beat-up, brown Buick at, like, 5:30 in the morning. Depending on our mood, the tape deck would be blaring Toad the Wet Sprocket or Fugazi. We'd sneak cigarettes, drink an entire pot of coffee each, and eat apple pie with cheese on it for breakfast. OMG, how did I ever survive that? I don't even know.

This is a more grown-up, but still sneaky little way to have apple pie for breakfast. It's lightly sweet with only two tablespoons of brown sugar in the whole dish, and the cheese is baked right into the filling. The onion and thyme add to the savory qualities and make it a suitable breakfast companion. This could easily serve four, but the two of us nearly polished off the whole thing while standing at the kitchen 

counter -- no joke!

Apple + Cheddar + Thyme Galette

(serves 4)

For the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup organic shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

about 1/2 cup cold water

Place the all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flout, shortening, and salt into the food processor. Turn it on and allow it to run for a few seconds so the shortening becomes incorporated into the flour. Add the cold water one teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together by forming itself into a ball and rolling around the inside of the work bowl. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.

For the filling:

juice of 1 lemon
4 cups sliced apples (about 4 medium, peeled, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices)
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups sliced onion (about 1 medium)

1/4 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
4 sprigs of thyme (stems removed)
2 tablespoons brown sugar

sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place lemon juice and apples in a large mixing bowl. In a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and sauté onion until translucent and beginning to brown; this should take about 8 minutes. Add the wine and turn up the heat to medium-high in order to reduce the wine. Once most of the liquid has evaporated, add the onion mixture to the mixing bowl with the apples. Toss in the cheddar, thyme, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.

To assemble the galette, roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured board to approximately a 12x17 oval. This is rustic so no need to be too precise here. Place dough on a 12x17 rimmed baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Pour the apple cheddar mixture into the center of the dough and press it with your palms until it's evenly distributed; make sure to leave a 1 1/2-inch margin. Fold the margin of the dough over in 2-inch sections overlapping the end of each section. This will hold in any juices. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is nice and brown and the apples on the top are caramelized. (For a deeper color of crust, brush with an egg wash halfway through the baking process.)