While the East Coast is experiencing the record-breaking heat, we, here on the West Coast, are enjoying a calm and uncharacteristically pleasant summer this year. With an exception of a few weeks back when we reached the three-digit high (luckily I was out of town), it’s been incredibly wonderful so far at about high 70s to low 80s. I certainly hope this doesn’t mean that we’re going to have a heat wave in the middle of November! Can you imagine eating a Thanksgiving dinner in a 100-degree weather? Yikes!

I wanted to take advantage of this calming weather and bake something special, that would make my entire apartment smell warm and irresistibly delicious. I had a few Fuji apples left that I had to eat before they’d go bad, so I decided to make a Rustic Apple Galette. I had wanted to make a pie dough from scratch for a while after learning that I didn’t need a food processor to make it so I decided to take my newly acquired flaky dough recipe from Chez Pim for a test drive! She explained in the video that making the dough by hand is like playing with play-doh and I agree! It is gooey, playful, and so much fun! And let me tell you, this was the flakiest pie dough I’ve ever made or tasted!

Flaky Pastry Dough
Adapted from Chez Pim

1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 sticks (8 oz or 1 cup) cold salted butter. If not using salted, add a pinch to the flour.
1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water

Make the dough per Pim’s instruction. Check out this video on her Website for the step-by-step “how to.” I didn’t use her recipe for Frangipane but instead, I added some Fuji Apple slices to make this dessert super rustic. I divided the dough into quarters and used one portion to make an individual-sized Galette after it chilled in a refrigerator for about 45 minutes.

Apple Filling
(For one, individual-sized Galette)

1/2 medium size Fuji apple, sliced
3 tablespoon Agave Nectar
3 teaspoons cinnamon powder

Slice the apple into thin slices and mix with Agave Nectar and cinnamon powder. Once the dough is rolled out, line the slices in the middle of the dough. Crimp the side, brush the leftover Agave around the dough, and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the dough becomes golden. Enjoy the dessert, as well as the wonderful aroma that fills the house!