Pumpkin-Apple-Gorgonzola Galette

I find autumn to be the most inspiring cooking and baking season for me. This weekend I was looking to find something autumnal and rustic to make for a party and I stumbled upon a galette (rustic sort of pie) in my Macrina Bakery & Cafe cookbook. This recipe sounded amazing with a savory sage-pumpkin filling, topped with sweet apple-pie spiced apples, then sprinkled with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and parsley. The whole thing is wrapped up in delicious flaky, slightly cheese encrusted pie dough. Irresistible, I thought, and definitely worth a try.

The result looked and smelled amazing, and tasted pretty good. The crust was perfect, and the flavors all together were a winning combination. I will make the recipe again soon since I feel it has a lot of potential, but I will tweak some things first. I'll post again about whether my changes are successful, but here's what I think:

Although the pumpkin filling is supposed to be savory, I would add more sugar to it and a little cream to make it a little more like sweet pumpkin pie filling. That way the dish would be more like an apple-pumpkin pie, but still with the twist of the savory sage and crispy salty Gorgonzola cheese.

SWEET SCIENCE:
What is a galette?
Galette is a french term for a flat, round, free-form "crusty cake" or pastry. Although I have come to know galettes as a no-frill, rustic pie crust, it can take on different consistencies in different parts of the world, including pancakes, large cookies, crepes, and even something like a glorified pigs-n-blanket. You can make a galette of any size since you don't need a pan to form the dough in. Just make a circle of dough, about 1/8-inch thick, fill with whatever sweet or savory filling you like (even pizza ingredients would work well), then fold the edges of the dough up and over the sides of the filling and bake until golden and scrumptious.



RECIPE:
Pumpkin-Apple-Gorgonzola Galette
from Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook by Leslie Mackie
serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:
2 granny smith apples
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups roasted butternut squash, baking-pumpkin, or canned pumpkin (see below)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 recipe of your favorite pie dough (see below)
egg wash (1 egg + 1 teaspoon water)
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
Core and peel apples and cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Toss apples with half the allspice, half the cinnamon, and half the ground cloves. Melt butter in a medium saucepan and saute the apples over medium heat until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Combine squash puree with the remaining allspice, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Add brown sugar, eggs, salt, and sage. Whisk ingredients together thoroughly.

Form chilled pie dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Flatten ball slightly, then roll it into a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Carefully lift it onto the prepared baking sheet. Spoon squash mixture onto center of circle and spread to cover about 8 inches, leaving a 3 inch border. Place a single layer of apples in concentric circles on top of the squash filling. Lift border over top of the filling, tucking and folding the dough to create a gathered, or pleated, finish. Lift each of the folds up and brush underneath with egg wash to seal the crust. Brush all exposed dough with egg wash, then sprinkle gorgonzola cheese and parsley on top. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F. Remove tart from refrigerator and bake on center rack of oven for 55-60 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes.

HOME-MADE SQUASH PUREE (optional)
If you choose to make your own squash puree, cut baking pumpkin(s) or butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake skin-side up (flesh down) in about an inch of water in a roasting dish or baking pan at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until squash is fork-tender). Drizzle or brush olive oil on the pumpkin skin or flesh if you like, this is optional. After cooled, scoop flesh off of the skin and mash or blend to a puree. Let puree sit in a mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or paper towel overnight in the fridge to remove excess moisture.

PIE DOUGH
This is just one of a million similar combinations of great pie dough. But it's a good one. I like to use a combination of both butter and vegetable shortening in my dough. The butter adds flavor; the shortening ensures more flaky-ness.
This recipe makes enough for 1 10-inch galette, 1 double-crust 9-inch pie, or 2 single-crust 9-inch pies.

INGREDIENTS
2.5 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
1/2 cup ice water

DIRECTIONS:
Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Add butter and cut into the flour until texture is coarse and crumbly (use hands or two forks). Add shortening until dough is crumbly again. Add ice water and mix just until water is incorporated. The dough will be a little sticky, so dust hands and work surface with flour. Remove dough from bowl and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and form dough into a flatter disk. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Chill for a few days in the fridge, or freeze for several months.