French Apple and Almond Galette

Sometimes you just want something sweet and easy to make.  Well, I certainly do. In the freezer was a sheet of all butter shortcrust pastry left over from Christmas and there were some cooking apples lurking around in need of a home.  I couldn't be bothered to go hunting for a tin in the cupboard so I made a freeform tart, also known as a galette (ooh la la).  It's remarkably simple to put together but looks very impressive when it emerges from the oven, full of tender apple and bronzed almonds.  If you're really gilding the lily, a drizzle of salted caramel adds an extra touch of sticky sweet decadence.  Go on, you know you want to...

French Apple and Almond Galette

1 sheet Shortcrust Pastry
4 Cooking Apples, peeled cored and sliced
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Icing Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
30g Flaked Almonds

Preheat your oven to 180c / Gas Mark 4.

Take your largest baking sheet, line it with baking paper and place the unrolled pastry on top.

In a large bowl, toss the apples in the lemon juice before adding over the icing sugar and cinnamon (I use a little sieve for this).  Tumble the sugar spiced coated apples onto the pastry sheet, keeping them about 2cm /1 inch from the edge.

Fold the edges of the pastry into the apples and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.  Bake for 45-50 minutes until the pastry & the almonds are golden and the apples are tender.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving with a generous spoonful of cream or icecream.  Sit back and marvel at your creative skills while everybody else thinks that you're a genius...