Apple Galette with Cheddar (Crispy Herb Cheddar Crust)

Sweet and savoury apple cheddar galette with a crispy herb cheddar pie crust. Top with flaky sea salt, a drizzle of honey and fresh thyme for a fun way to use up fall apples in an appetizer, snack, or easy brunch recipe. Make it your way with your favourite cheeses, try a new fruit if you’d like.

Crust:
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter (113 g)
1¼ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached (150 g)
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
½ cup (2 oz) sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. vodka, or buttermilk
2-3 Tbsp. water, ice cold

Galette:
¾ cup (3 oz) sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 large Honeycrisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. salted butter, melted
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. milk

Topping:
flaky sea salt
1 drizzle pure honey
2 sprigs fresh thyme, stems discarded

Make the Thyme Cheddar Pie Crust:
Cut the butter into ½” cubes and set on a plate. Place the plate in the freezer for 10 minutes so it gets VERY COLD. While you do this, you can get all of your other ingredients out and ready to go.

Add the flour, sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the chilled butter cubes and pulse again for 10-15 seconds until the butter resembles tiny peas. Add in the shredded cheddar cheese and thyme leaves and pulse again a few times to incorporate.

Next, add 1 Tbsp. of vodka (or buttermilk), then add in 2-3 Tbsp. ICE COLD water to the dough. Pulse until dough comes together just a bit, resembling small beads. The dough should still be somewhat crumbly; I recommend squeezing a small amount of dough between your fingers; it should stick together well, but if it doesn’t and is very crumbly, add more ice water, ½ Tbsp. at a time, until it just comes together. If your dough is too wet, add ½ Tbsp. flour until it comes together. I usually don’t mess with ratios too much because this is what works for me. Do not overwork the dough.

Place dough onto a well-floured surface and form into a disk shape, then wrap with plastic wrap or in a reusable bag. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour (or up to 2 days). Dough can also be frozen for up to 2-3 months if well wrapped in both plastic and then foil or a zip-top bag.

Make the Galette:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

While the pie dough chills, prepare the galette filling: Add sliced apples to a medium bowl along with the melted butter and sugar and toss together with your hands until the apples are fully coated.

Dust your counter or a cutting board with flour, then place the chilled pie dough disc on the counter. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 12" circle (it should be about ¼” thick and it’s okay if the edges are a little cracked) Place the dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Arrange ½ cup of the shredded cheddar cheese on top of the pie dough, leaving a 1½" border uncovered. Arrange the buttered apples on top of the cheese in a spiral pattern, beginning at the outer edge of the cheese and working inward towards the center. Fold the outer edges of the pie dough inward to create a crust. Brush milk on the crust, then sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of shredded cheese on top of this crust.

Bake the galette for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the apples have softened. Cool the galette for 10 minutes, then top with a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of flaky salt and the fresh thyme leaves. Cut into 6 or 8 slices and enjoy.