A Family Recipe for Fall: Mei's Rustic Ontario Apple Galette

Mei called me the second week of October, a few months after she and her daughter Chloe got the keys to their first house together in Barrie.

"Jenn," she said, "the boxes are finally unpacked, and I want to make Mom's apple galette. But I've never baked in this oven. What if I ruin it?"

I laughed, because that is the most common "new house" worry I hear every fall. It isn't the mortgage or the furnace. It's whether the family recipe will turn out in a brand-new kitchen.

So that Saturday, Mei and Chloe pulled out her mother's handwritten card, a bag of local apples and a rolling pin that had come all the way from her mom's kitchen. A couple of hours later, she texted me a photo of a golden, bubbling galette with the caption: "Okay. Now it feels like home."

She said I could share the recipe, so here it is.

Mei's Rustic Ontario Apple Galette

A galette is a free-form pie. There's no pie plate, no crimping and no stress, which makes it perfect for little helpers and first-time bakers. It serves 6 to 8.

For the crust

• 1 ¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

For the filling

• 3 medium baking apples (about 1 ½ lb), such as Northern Spy, Cortland or Honeycrisp
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

To finish

• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1 tablespoon coarse sugar
• Maple syrup or vanilla ice cream for serving (optional, but highly encouraged)

Method

1. Make the dough. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the pieces are about the size of peas. Sprinkle in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, just until the dough holds together when you squeeze it. Shape it into a flat disc, wrap it and chill it for at least 30 minutes.
2. Prep the apples. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Toss them with the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice.
3. Roll it out. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). On a floured sheet of parchment, roll the dough into a rough 12-inch circle. Ragged edges are part of the charm. Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet.
4. Fill and fold. Arrange the apples in the centre, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the edges up and over the fruit, pleating as you go, and dot the apples with the butter.
5. Bake. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle it with coarse sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the juices are bubbling.
6. Rest and serve. Let it cool for 15 minutes, then serve it warm with a drizzle of maple syrup or a scoop of ice cream.

Mei's tips: Keep the butter as cold as possible, because that's what makes the crust flaky. Let the kids do the folding, since the more rustic it looks, the better. And mixing two apple varieties gives you both tart and sweet in every bite.

The kitchen is where a house becomes a home

What I loved about Mei's story is that it had nothing to do with square footage. Her kitchen isn't huge. But it has a big window over the counter, room for Chloe to roll dough beside her, and an oven that, it turns out, bakes a beautiful galette.

When families tell me what they're looking for, the kitchen almost always comes up. They want a spot for homework while dinner's on, a counter big enough for holiday baking, or a table where everyone fits. From Barrie and Bradford to Newmarket, Georgina, Durham and the Kawarthas, our team helps families across South & Central Ontario find the home where their recipes get made for years to come.

Ready for your own new-kitchen moment?

• Dreaming of a bigger kitchen (or a smaller, cozier one)? Search homes across South & Central Ontario.
• Curious what your current home is worth before you make a move? Book a free home evaluation.

Happy baking, and if you make Mei's galette, I'd love to see a photo!

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This is an illustrative story based on common client situations.