New England Apple Cheddar Galette

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 2 Tbsp finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 good cooking apples, such as McIntosh, Courtland, Jonagold, Pippin, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Fuji, or a mixture of various cooking apples, NOT red delicious
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 half of a lemon, or the juice of half a lemon
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons minute tapioca or instant tapioca for thickener
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup lightly packed grated cheddar cheese
• 1 egg for egg wash
• Coarse sugar for sprinkling on the crust

Directions

1. Cut the butter into cubes. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt and sugar, then scatter the butter over the top. With clean hands, work the butter into the flour by squeezing and rubbing it together until you have a shaggy, coarse mixture with a few pea-sized bits of butter still hanging around. Add the sour cream and a couple tablespoons of finely grated sharp cheddar, and mix everything with a fork until it comes together. Use your hands to pull the dough into a ball, press it into a disk, dust it lightly with flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes or as far as a day ahead.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Fill a large bowl halfway with water, then squeeze in the juice of half a lemon; you can drop the squeezed lemon in too, if you like. Peel, quarter, and core the apples, placing them in the lemon water as you go so they stay bright.
3. Take the apple quarters out of the water. Cut each quarter lengthwise into 4 or 5 slices, about 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick at the widest part, then put the slices back into the lemon water.
4. Drain the apple slices and return them to the empty bowl. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon, then toss gently so the apples get lightly coated. Add the minute tapioca and lemon zest, and toss gently again.
5. Set the dough disk on a clean, lightly floured, flat surface. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it’s an even thickness and about 14 inches across. Carefully transfer the pastry to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Arrange the apple slices on the dough in a circular pattern, beginning 2 inches in from the edge and working your way around to fill the center. A little overlap is completely fine.
7. Scatter the grated cheddar over the apples. Fold the dough up and over the apples, making pleats every few inches as you work around the galette.
8. Beat the egg with a teaspoon of water in a small bowl until smooth. Brush the egg wash over the exposed dough only, leaving the apples bare, then sprinkle the crust with coarse sugar.
9. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is just starting to brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the apples are tender and the crust is nicely browned.
10. Let the galette cool until it’s only lightly warm before serving.