Strawberry and Apple Frangipane Galettes

When two opposite seasons merge, people benefit greatly from the variety of produce on offer. Over here in Australia, apples are at their best, so are the berries. And we are one month into Autumn! I feel so blessed to be living in a country where we are spoilt for choice and our colourful produce is inspirational.

Remember the raspberry frangipane tarts (my last post) I made recently. I had a bit of leftover frangipane filling. Not enough to make another big dessert or another batch of tarts, but a free form galette was a nice, quick solution. I also had left-over apple pie filling from another recipe I was working on so these galettes seemed like delicious way of killing two birds with one stone. That is the thing I love about galettes. Throw in a mish mash of ripe fruits and nuts and a host of other things and you have a freshly baked treat ready for afternoon tea.

This recipe is more about the idea rather than accurate measurements. I am going to put in the recipes for the individual elements, though I have used leftovers as I mentioned earlier. If you’re short on time, skip the apple pie filling and use thinly sliced apples instead.

Strawberry and Apple Frangipane Galettes
Serves 8

4 sheets ready, rolled shortcrust pastry, slightly thawed
Frangipane filling (recipe below)
Apple pie filling, home made or store bought (recipe below)
Strawberry filling (recipe below)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

For the frangipane filling
100 unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 egg
1 yolk
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup plain flour
fresh raspberries
sliced almonds

For the apple pie filling
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used red delicious apples)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups water
1/2 cup castor sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
20 g unsalted butter

For the strawberry filling
1 punnet (250 g) fresh strawberries, hulled, halved
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 tbsp cornflour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Cut out eight 14 cm round from pastry and place on the baking tray. (You can store the leftover sheet cutouts in the freezer for making pie designs later).
Spread 2 tablespoons of frangipane paste (recipe below), leaving a 3 cm border. Top with 2 tablespoons each of apple pie filling (recipe below) and strawberry filling (recipe below), leaving the same space for the border. Fold over pastry edge in a pleated pattern to enclose the fillings partially, pressing down lightly with your fingers to seal.

Whisk the egg and water together.
Brush pastry edges with egg wash and sprinkle with extra sugar. bake until 25 minutes or until pastry is golden. Serve warm with ice-cream or custard on the side.

To make the frangipane filling
Using an electric mixer or by hand beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Add in the almond meal and flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Wrap in cling film and store in the fridge until needed.

To make the apple filling, coat the apples with lemon juice.
In a medium saucepan, place the apples, water, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Over low heat, bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook until apples are soft and sauce has thickened (approx 15 mins). Add more water if needed.
Add the butter, stir, remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, store in an air-tight container until needed.

To make the strawberry filling , In a medium sized bowl toss the strawberries, sugar and cornstarch together. Cover and leave in the fridge until needed.