Some people say, that if you want to sell your house, throw an apple pie in the oven when the buyers arrive. The smell is so inviting, so cozy, so homey, so unbelievably mouthwatering. This galette is no exception. In fact it comes with a little surprise.

Hidden between the apples and the buttery pastry, lies a thin sweet layer of tahini, mixed with honey and cinnamon and sprinkled with crunchy walnuts. It’s a creamy layer of deliciousness and with the tangy taste of the apples, it takes you straight to galette heaven (galette heaven, really?). Well you know what I mean. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla or mastic ice cream and you’ve got yourself a wow.

Apple Tahini Galette

For the dough

• 185 grams cold butter
• 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
• 2 Tbs soft brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 Tbs iced water

For the tahini layer

• ¼ cup tahini paste (see note)
• 1 Tbs soft brown sugar
• 1 T honey
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup roasted walnuts, roughly chopped

For the apples

• 4 golden delicious apples
• 1 lemon, the juice
• 1 Tbs soft brown sugar
• 1 Tbs granulated sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbs butter
• ½ Tbs brown sugar for sprinkling

Method

Make the dough: Cut the butter in small cubes (about 1.5 cm) and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

In a bowl of a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, add the flour, sugar and salt. Blend until sugar is mixed and ground. Add the chilled butter and pulse about 20 times, until mixture resembles small peas. Fluff mixture with a fork slightly to see the consistency.

Add the iced water to the food processor and pulse about 20 times more, until dough comes together. It will still be crumbly. Pinch it with your fingers. If it sticks together you are done. If it seems too dry, add a little bit more water by the teaspoon and pulse again.

Place a large piece of plastic wrap on your worktop. Tip the dough on the plastic wrap and knead it briefly with your hands until it comes together into a ball. Create a disk and wrap it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour. At this stage, you can leave the dough in the fridge for 2 days.

Prepare the apples: Peel and quarter the apples. Slice thinly (about 2 mm per slice). Put slices in a bowl squeeze over the lemon juice. Mix briefly to distribute the juice. This will keep the apples from loosing their colour.

Add the sugars and cinnamon to the bowl and mix well with the apples. Leave the apples to macerate, 1 hour.

Prepare the topping: In a small bowl mix the tahini, brown sugar and cinnamon Set aside until needed.

Assemble the galette: Preheat oven to 175 C fan. Drain the apples and put their juices (that won’t be a great amount) in a small frying pan. Add the two tablespoons of butter and place over high heat. Let the mixture boil until butter is melted and mixture has thickened slightly and is beginning to caramelize. It will take a light amber colour. Take off the heat and set aside until needed.

Take dough out of the fridge. Place a piece of greaseproof paper on your worktop and dust it liberally with flour. Place the dough on the paper and sprinkle with some more flour. Roll dough to a rough circle, about 34 cm round.

Spread the tahini mixture all over the dough leaving a 2cm border. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts. Place the apple slices on top leaving a 5 cm border. Fold the edges of the dough to enclose the apples. Use the paper to help you lift the dough.

Brush the surface of the galette (apples and pastry) with the caramelized butter mixture. Sprinkle the apples with the ½ tablespoon brown sugar.

Transfer galette on a baking tray. You may find it easier to turn your oven tray upside down and slide the galette on the tray. Bake for 50-55 minutes until apples are nicely coloured and dark at places and the pastry is golden and cooked through.

The galette is delicious served warm or at room temperature.

Note: Tahini paste can sometimes be too thick especially if you spoon it from the bottom of the jar where it’s more dense. If it’s too thick to spread evenly you can add ¼ tsp of baking soda. The soda will loosen it but it will also cause it to rise slightly, maybe even above the apples in places.