Sugar and Spice: Apple Cranberry Galettes Recipe from Patisserie Natalie

CakeSpy Note: This is another guest post from high school-aged baking phenom Natalie, who has contributed to CakeSpy in the past! You can keep up with her via her website, Pâtisserie Natalie. Here's her latest recipe:

Brrrrr! It has been ridiculously cold in Seattle lately. For anyone who lives here, they know we had the most intense rain storm recently. Personally, I love it! But for the people who are less inclined to run around in the rain, they might enjoy some delicious dessert to eat while reading a book by the fire. I know, it's a cliche, but that's a pretty good one, in my opinion. This is a great dessert because it's super easy to make, but it tastes fancy. I've never actually worked with cranberries before, and they were great (they're really cute, too). I thought that apples and cranberries would be a good combination of fall flavors that are very different from each other. I also made a honey cinnamon ice cream to go with this, but I didn't get the chance to take any pictures because the galettes got eaten. If you want the recipe you can go to my blog and email me for it.

Apple Cranberry Galettes
-makes about 4 8-inch Galettes -

Dough ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter + 2 tablespoons
  
• 2 tablespoons (or more) ice water
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 tablespoon heavy cream
  
• sanding sugar

Filling Ingredients

• 4 large granny smith apples
  
• 2/3 cup fresh cranberries
  
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  

Procedure

1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor.
   
2. Add 12 tablespoons of 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.
   
3. While you're chilling the dough, you might want to prepare the filling (procedure below).
   
4. 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.
   
5. Place about 1/3 of a cup of the filling in the center of the circle and fold up edges of the dough in one direction. Place a 1/2 tablespoon of butter on the filling.
   
6. Beat the egg in a small bowl and add cream. 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.
   

Filling Procedure:

1. Peel and cut apples into very thin slices, about 1/4" thick, then set aside.
   
2. In a large saucepan, turn on medium heat and melt butter. While the butter is melting, combine lemon juice, sugar, and spices in a small bowl. Pour into the saucepan.
   
3. Cook the cranberries in the pan first, without the apples. Wait until they start to make "popping" sounds, then remove from the pan, leaving the juice in the pan.
   
4. Cook apples just until they are easily sliced with a little pressure from a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and toss the cranberries in. Stir the fruits in with the sauce until everything is nice and covered.
   

Sweet November: Cranberry Orange Cupcakes, and Sweet Artwork, at Cupcake Royale

Breaking cupcake news from Cupcake Royale (per their email newsletter):

The Cupcake Harvest Festival isn't over yet, and we have a fresh crop of Cranberry Orange Cupcakes through Thanksgiving! Made with real Pacific NW cranberries in the cake and the cream cheese frosting, these cakes were meant to be gobbled!

But delicious cupcakes aren't the only reason to hit up Cupcake Royale this month: they've got a bunch of sweet art events too! Here's the lowdown:

Blitz Capitol Hill Art Walk ARTIST RECEPTION Thu 11/12 from 5-8 | Check out the killer new group show "I do," curated by Joey Veltkamp and featuring work by David Warren Bernam, Dawn Cerny, Claire Cowie, and Leo Saul Berk.

West Seattle Art Walk Thu 11/12 from 7-9 | Check out new work from Erin Shaftkind.

Ballard Art Walk Sat 11/13 from 7-9 | Round out your art-filled week with Brandon Ilenstine's new show.

You can find out more about the art shows here; to obtain one of the cupcakes, you can visit any of the four Cupcake Royale locations til Thanksgiving; for more information, visit cupcakeroyale.com; for instant updates, follow them on Twitter!

Sam I Yam: Sweet Potato Tarte Tatin for Serious Eats!

The problem with sweet potato pie? While it's delicious, after consuming all of the mashed potatoes and stuffing at dinner, it often equals starch overload. Luckily, the Sweet Potato Tarte Tatin from the newly published cookbook DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style by David Guas and Raquel Pelzel provides the perfect solution: it starts with slivered sweet potatoes—just enough to provide flavor without becoming a starchy bulk—then pairs them with a thick, rich caramel sauce and buttery puff pastry, all of which is combined, baked upside down, then flipped post-baking for a sophisticated and (especially when topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream) supremely satisfying dessert.

Oh, and it's fantastic for breakfast the next day, too!

You can check out the full recipe that I posted over at Serious Eats!

Sweet November: Seasonal Flavors at Trophy Cupcakes

Forget the Pumpkin Pie: this November, it's all about the cupcakes! Local cupcake bakery Trophy Cupcakes has two seasonal flavors which will be available all month long starting Saturday, November 14:

First, the Candied Yam Cupcake. This delicious confection starts with cake made using Garnet yams, toasted pecans and traditional fall spices--and then it gets even better with the addition of marshmallow meringue, which is torched for a perfect crispy edge and gooey inside. This cupcake has developed an almost cult-like following since its debut in 2007!

Next, there's the Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcake. Imagine Nutella and chocolate cake having a baby, and you're beginning to get the idea! This cake is dense, decadent, and completely delicious, comprised of chocolate cake, Nutella buttercream, edged in candied hazelnuts.
Of course, due to limited availability of these flavors, be sure to call first to make sure they haven't sold out for the day; for larger orders, be sure to give 48 hours notice.

These two seasonal flavors will be available starting November 14 through the end of the month at all three Trophy Cupcakes locations; for directions and hours, visit their website.

Seeing Stars: Cinnamon Star Holiday Cookie Recipe from Bredenbeck's Bakery of Philadelphia

When I used to work at a greeting card company, we had to work on our Christmas designs as early as February or March. Sometimes, to get ourselves in the mood, we'd bring in Christmas cookies--which tasted just as good in the spring as they had just a few months before. And with that in mind, let me say that I definitely don't consider pre-Thanksgiving too early to break out some delicious cookie recipes. So let's bring it on, starting with this spicy, moist and chewy cinnamon cookie--a recipe for the best-selling holiday cookie at Philadelphia's Bredenbeck's Bakery:

Cinnamon Stars

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (about 8 oz.) hazelnuts or blanched almonds, finely ground
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 3/4 tsp lemon zest, grated
  
• 1/4 cup egg whites (about 2 large)
  
• Pinch of salt
  
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  
• About 1/2 cup additional confectioner’s sugar for rolling
  

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Combine the nuts, cinnamon, and zest. Beat the egg whites at high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add the salt, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form, one to two minutes. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and beat until stiff and glossy, five to eight minutes. Reserve about 1/3 cup of the meringue and fold the nut mixture into the remaining meringue.
   
2. Place a large sheet of waxed paper on a flat surface, and cover with additional confectioner’s sugar. Place the nut mixture on the sugar, lightly sprinkle with more confectioner’s sugar, top with a second piece of waxed paper, and roll out one-quarter-inch thick. Remove the top piece of waxed paper. Using a cookie cutter dipped in water, cut into two-inch star shapes, or use a knife to cut into diamonds. Re-roll and cut any scraps. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
   
3. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Spread the reserved meringue over the top of the cookies and bake until the tops are lightly colored, about five minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to three weeks. Makes about 36 two-inch cookies.
   

Care to hear more about the bakery? OK! Here's the 411:  Located in the heart of Chestnut Hill, Bredenbeck’s is famous for its delicious butter cookies, fancy miniatures and gourmet wedding cakes, all baked on premises. The historic shop is located at 8126 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 215-247-7374 or online at bredenbecks.com.