Fall Guest Post for Cakespy

For a dinner party at my house this past weekend I made apple cranberry galettes with honey cinnamon ice cream. I rarely eat anything I bake, but it was reported back to me that they were delicious. This is a great fall recipe, so check it out at Cakespy.
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Upside Down Apple Cakes

Last weekend I visited Lopez, one of the San Juan Islands, with my friend. Her family has a lovely house there, including apple and pear trees. The Northwest is known for those two fall fruits, and I certainly know why. I picked one of the apples and cut it open then and there. It was unbelievably crisp and juicy. As soon as I tasted it I knew I had to make something. Not being at home, I had to be a little more creative with what was there. I had a nice selection of tools, but no Kitchen Aid stand mixer! I got some help making the cakes from my friend's little sister, so she deserves some credit. I rarely bake with other people, so it was nice to have a hand.

Cake
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk


Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter for 10 seconds, until soft. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly in between.

Beat in dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk, in two parts. Start and end with the flour. Try not to overmix. Set aside.

Apples
6-7 medium apples, preferably tart variety
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel and cut apples into thin, 1/4" slices. Toss in sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let macerate for 15 minutes in the fridge. In a large sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter, and turn on medium heat. Once butter is melted, add apples and cook until the apples are cut through easily, but not browned.

Assembly
Lay apples in the bottom of the muffin tins that have been buttered and floured. Fill the remainder of the muffin cup with cake batter. Bake for 14-16 minutes, depending on your oven.

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Apple Pear Galette with Vanilla Sides

While apples and pears are considered more fall-like, we get pretty decent apples and pears all year long. I've never met anyone who didn't love something like apple crisp. While this doesn't have the "crisp" part, the dough does bake like a tart and is slightly crunchy, but more flaky. I made the vanilla ice cream because you simply can't have a dessert like this without it. The two are a pair and cannot be separated.
I made the custards for my aunt's friend, whose father is recovering from a surgery. The only thing he can eat is soft food like puddings and custards. They just wanted vanilla for now, but maybe more flavors in the future.



For the galette dough:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (or more) ice water
[eggwash+sanding sugar]

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; pulse until coarse meal forms. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Chill 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out dough on a floured work surface 1/2" thick. Cut into 8" diameter circles and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Place 1/3 of a cup of the filling in the center of the circle and fold up edges in one direction. Place a 1/2" cube of butter on the filling. Using a pastry brush, paint the sides of the galette with an eggwash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Place on the parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes depending on your oven.

For the filling:

3 crisp apples
3 crisp pears
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablesooon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Slice apples and pears thinly. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.



For the vanilla bean ice cream:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean; halved, seeds removed

Whisk ingredients together until sugar is dissolved. Place in refrigerator to let vanilla seeds infuse into the cream, for 1 hour. Place in ice cream machine and churn for the amount of time given by manufacturer. Remove from machine and place in air-tight container overnight to harden.

For the vanilla bean custard:

2 cups whole milk
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1-inch piece vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
4 large eggs
3 large egg yolks

Combine milk, half and half and sugar in saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into milk mixture; add bean. Bring to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cover and steep 30 minutes.
Strain mixture into medium bowl; cool to lukewarm. Whisk eggs and yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk milk mixture into eggs. Chill until cold.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk custard; pour into caramel-coated dish. Place in large baking pan. Fill pan with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of dish. Cover pan completely with foil, sealing at edges. Bake until center 3 inches of custard moves only slightly when dish is shaken, about 1 hour. Remove from oven; let stand covered 10 minutes. Remove from water; chill overnight.
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