Spicie Foodie ™

Healthy, Fresh, and Delicious Recipes to Spice up Your Kitchen ™

An Apple A Day and Spicy Apple Goat Cheese Galette

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Spicy Apple and Goat Cheese Gallette Vegetarian) Recipe by Spicie Foodie

There is a proverb that says, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” A few days ago and for some strange reason this proverb kept repeating in my head. Every time the phrase repeated it made me wonder if indeed apples keep us out of the doctor’s office. If so then I’m in dire need of a doctor.

The only way to quiet the annoying repetition was to learn the proverb’s origins. I’ve only heard Americans saying this and so I assumed it was an American phrase. But a little investigating concluded that the proverb dates from 19th century Wales. The phrase first appeared in an 1866 edition of Notes and Queries magazine: “A Pembrokeshire proverb. Eat an apple on going to bed, And you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” As the years passed different variants of the phrase appeared. Then in 1904 J.T. Stinson popularized the saying we know today, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” I have to admit that I assumed the proverb was created by some large apple farming corporation.

Spicy Apple and Goat Cheese Gallette Vegetarian) Recipe by Spicie Foodie

The proverb does have substantial evidence of apples having great health benefits. Apples are low in calories, antioxidant rich, high in flavonoids and fiber, contain vitamin C, can help reduce the risk of stroke and lower cholesterol. Additionally they help reduce tooth decay by killing bacteria and cleaning teeth. So they’ll not only keep you out of the doctor’s office but the dentist chair too.

After ingesting the new knowledge I felt compelled to eat an apple. But frankly I find apples a bit boring and often combine them with more exciting ingredients. That is exactly what I did in this recipe. You may remember the Nectarine Goat Cheese Galette I shared last summer. This recipe is basically the same with the exception of nectarines swapped out for apples. Additionally nearly all of the all purpose flour was changed to whole wheat flour.

Spicy Apple and Goat Cheese Gallette Vegetarian) Recipe by Spicie Foodie

And here’s how to get your apple serving today.

5.0 from 6 reviews
Spicy Apple Goat Cheese Galette
 
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Sweet, spicy and tart these galette has all the flavours and daily apple serving covered.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegetarian, Fruit, Baking, Tart, Savory
Cuisine: Vegetarian, American, International
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients:
  • 1.5 cups fine whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • pinch salt
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, or a light tasting one of your choice
  • ⅓ cup cold water, plus extra if needed
Filling and Topping Ingredients:
  • 2 medium Granny Smith apples (weight was 400g), cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ground cayenne to taste (I added ½ tsp)
  • salt, to taste
  • 100 gm goat cheese log, full fat is best
  • Amelia's Spicy Spicing Pecans*
  • whole milk or egg wash for brushing
Instructions
Pastry Dough Instructions:
  1. Mix both flours, salt and sugar until well combined. Make a well in center and add olive oil and water. Mix and knead into a smooth dough. Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap or place inside a plastic bag. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Assemble:
  1. Remove the dough from refrigerator and preheat the oven to 375F or 190C. In a small bowl mix apple cider vinegar, olive oil, cayenne, and salt until well combined. Then gently toss with the sliced apples making sure they are coated nicely. Set aside.
  2. Roll dough into a large circle and to your desired thickness. Crumble and spread goat cheese around center, but leave about 1 inch or 2.5 cm of outer dough to be folded over later. Next arrange the apple slices on top of goat cheese, use as many as you like. Fold the extra outer dough over the toppings. Brush the dough with a little whole milk or egg wash. Bake in center of oven for 25-30 minutes or until the dough feels crispy and is golden brown.
  3. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, and right before serving top with the spicy pecans.
Notes
**If you’d like to order some Amelia’s Spicing Pecans you can do so through their Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpicingPecans --- For step-by-step dough photo instructions please reference my Nectarine Goat Cheese Galette recipe http://www.spiciefoodie.com/2012/07/27/nectarine-goat-cheese-galette-made-with-olive-oil-pastry-dough/
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Using whole wheat flour made the galette’s crust taste nuttier than the other version. Also the crumb was drier and flakier. Tossing the apples with cayenne gave the dish an extra spicy taste that complimented the sweet and tartness perfectly.

Spicy Apple and Goat Cheese Gallette Vegetarian) Recipe by Spicie Foodie

The galette should be served with a green salad of your choice. Of course you don’t have to make it as fancy as the one you see in my photos. But if you happen to have roasted tomatoes (recipe here), roasted bell peppers (recipe here) and olives in your fridge then use them. The combination is amazing! In all honesty these fruit and goat cheese galettes are one of my most favorite meals. What makes them so great is that any seasonal fruit may be used. Enjoy!

More ways to get your daily apple.
– Apple oatmeal streusel muffins by January’s YBR Feature Winner Paaka Shaale

– Caramel Apple Crepes by Lemons and Anchovies
– Rum Spiced Apple Butter and Mascarpone Puff Pastries by The Ardent Epicure
– Pistachio and Apple Salad with Gingery Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing by Home Skillet
– Honey Mustard and Curry Coleslaw with Apples by Betacyanin
– apple cheddar pizza with caramelized onions & walnuts by Oh My Veggies
– AppleTella Sandwiches by Spicie Foodie
– Almond Butter Baked Apples by Spicie Foodie
– Maple Apple Cider by Spicie Foodie

 

Yummy Pics: A Food Blogger's Guide to Better Photos, Photography eBook by Spicie Foodie

 

Comments

  6. Thanks you for researching the history of the saying for us. Those ingredients certainly sound interesting as a tart filling. That purple/hot pink colour is gorgeous.

    • My pleasure Suzanne. It’s sounds strange but it really just works great together. Thanks I fell in love with the color too. It’s just paper napkins:)

  11. What a different way to use apples. I just love it! Love the addition of the spicy pecans and goat cheese!! Thanks for the etymology of the phrase “An apple a day….” I love that type of trivia and very interesting to read where is originated.

  13. I’ve heard that saying all my life, but I never knew where it originated. I love fresh apples in the fall, but the ones in the grocery store off season have never really excited me. This sounds really delicious and a nice way to spice up those bland varieties that I might not eat otherwise. Lovely!

  18. This looks excellent, I love fruit and cheese. Do you know what was in the spices if I don’t want to use the pecans?

    I don’t know if you discovered this through your research but the reason the “eating apple campaign” started was to convince people to stop making hard cider and eat the apples instead. Before the late 19th the breeds of eating apples were really limited and apples were almost always turned into cider. Public drunkenness problems encouraged anti-alcohol groups to start promoting the fruit itself rather than the cider.

    • Thanks Holly! I didn’t dig deep enough to learn about that. It’s really interesting but I wouldn’t give up cider for plain apples. Lol! :)

  19. I love apples, especially the deliciously sweet/tart green ones! I love that saying too…I remember my dad telling it to my sister and I when we were kids, lol. That galette is gorgeous, Nancy!

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