I love Kate McDermott's recipes. Easy, delicious, and soul warming. This recipe is from her best selling book "The Art of the Pie". Check out her website, enjoy the recipes, and buy her pie cookbooks!

 Serves 6-8
 
1.5 pounds ground beef
2 teaspoons thyme (dry is just fine---or 1 tablespoon fresh leaves)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 gratings nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground pepper
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped small
5 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, grated
2.5 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup stock (vegetable, beef, or chicken)
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
1/3 cup butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper
 

1. Heat up a big frying pan over medium high heat and add the meat and seasonings and cook until the meat no longer looks pink. You can break it up a bit as you are cooking it.
2. Add the vegetables and cook for 5-7 minutes longer.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and stir and cook for a few minutes more.
4. Add the stock, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
5. In another pot, cover the potatoes with water, plus 1 teaspoon salt and boil until they are tender about 20 minutes. Drain well and put them back into the pot with the butter and 2/3 cup of the cheese, and thyme. Mash until smooth. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
6. Spoon the meat mixture into a deep-dish pie pan or a large baking dish. Cover with the potato mixture and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

 
Alternatives:

• Replace the potatoes with lower carb substitutes like rutabaga, celery root (celeriac), or cauliflower. Cook as you do the potatoes.
• Replace the ground beef with ground pork, lamb, turkey or chicken.
• Herbs-rosemary, sage, or dill. Add to the cooked meat and taste. Add more if needed.
• Spices: instead of allspice and nutmeg try 1 tablespoon of one of these seasonings: curry powder, Southwest seasoning, Moroccan seasoning.

Thank you goes to Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman for this recipe. You must check out her wonderful website and her cookbooks. I spend lots of time with both getting inspired.

1 round of pie dough (1/2 recipe Art of the pie double crust pie dough-recipe here)
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup (about 2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup (2 oz) shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves
 
Glaze: 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1. Spread the zucchini out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 30 minutes; gently blot the tops of the zucchini dry with paper towels before using. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
5. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet or onto a piece of parchment paper place on the baking sheet. 
6. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. 
7. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.
8. Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

 
Alternatives

• Asparagus instead of zucchini. Cut asparagus into thin slices at a sharp angle. Follow step one in recipe. After drying with a paper towel, spread evenly over the ricotta mixture. Finish galette as directed.
• Cook these vegetables to release the moisture before arranging on top of the ricotta filling. 
  • Mushrooms with rosemary
  • Leeks with mint
  • Roasted butternut squash cubes (about 1 pound) with sage
• Add 2 cups cooked, finely shredded chicken breast onto the filling and top with a vegetable that has been prepared to reduce moisture. Note: It’s important to shred or cut the chicken fine to make cutting the galette even.
• Cooked ground beef seasoned with herbs
• Cooked bacon, chopped.
• Shrimp, raw, placed artfully with the top layer of vegetable
• Add 2 tablespoons of Liz's Gremolata to the cheese mixture to add a bright lemon flavor
• Use a variety of herbs to flavor the tart-basil, parsley, thyme, dill, or tarragon 
• Cheese alternative to mozzarella in the ricotta mixture
  • Gruyere
  • Stilton
  • Cheddar
  • Feta

I will not take credit for this perfect pie crust recipe. Thank Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie® for this recipe. 
I recommend her best selling book "Art of the Pie"  www.artofthepie.com.” 

2-1/2 cups (363g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (3g) salt
*8 Tbs (112g) of Kerrygold or other salted or unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces
*8 Tbs (112g) leaf lard (where to get it: https://fannieandflo.net/ )very cold shortening can be substituted for lard
8 Tbs (118g) of ice water (This is an average but sometimes the dough takes more or less.)
*(For ALL BUTTER dough use 14 Tbs (196g) of Kerrygold or other salted or unsalted butter for your total fat)

1. Put all ingredients but the ice water in a large bowl.
2. With clean hands, blend the mixture together until it looks like coarse meal with some lumps in it that looks like cracker crumbs, peas, and almonds. The lumps make flakey pies.
3. Sprinkle ice water over mixture and stir lightly with a fork.
4. Squeeze a handful of dough together. Mix in a bit more water if it doesn’t keep together.
5. Divide the dough in half and make two chubby disks about 5 inches across.
6. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.
7. Take out one disk and put it on a well-floured board, pastry cloth, parchment paper or plastic wrap.
8. Sprinkle some flour onto the top of the disk. Thump the disk with your rolling pin several times.
9. Turn it over and thump the other side.
10. Sprinkle more flour onto the top of the crust if needed to keep the pin from sticking and roll the crust out from the center in all directions.
11. When it is an inch or so larger than your pie pan, brush off the extra flour on both sides. Fold the dough over the top of the pin and lay it in the pie pan carefully.
12. Donʼt worry if the crust needs to be patched together; just paint a little water where it needs to be patched and “glue” on the patch piece.
13. Put the filling in the pie and repeat the process with the other disk.

 
Notes
This recipe will make one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies for 9" pie pans. Leaf lard is available at some butcher shops, farmers markets and also by mail-order. It will take about 5-7 minutes to put the dough together. Minimum chill time is 20 minutes but 1-2 hours is great. After chilling, dough discs may be frozen for up to 1 month. Be Happy and Make Pie!

Back when I lived in my first apartment in Hoboken, NJ I taught myself to cook. My dad gave me my first cookbook-Jaques Pepin's "Everyday Cooking". I would recommend this book to anyone. The recipes are easy, elegant, and delicious. Pepin is an amazing teacher and my go-to chef for cooking technique. 
The filling of thinly sliced apples is easy to do and the layering of the slices creates a beautiful tart. Be sure to use a firm, baking apple so the slices hold up and don't get mushy. I like Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples for my tarts. 
The Pate Brisee dough is easy to make, freezes well, and can be used for any pie recipe. 
This Apple Galette recipe is a favorite of mine and I have shared it with family and friends for over 30 years! I hope you love it too. ​

Apple Galette
Recipe From:  Jacques Pepin “Everyday Cooking”

Makes 8 servings
1/2 recipe pate brisée (see recipe below or use 1/2 recipe of the Basic Crust recipe from "Art of the Pie"
5 large granny smith apples (or other firm cooking apple variety-Mutsu, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Jonagold, Northern Spy)
1/4-cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon Calvados or Cognac (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
 
1. Make pâte brisée (recipe below or Basic Crust recipe from "Art of the Pie" ). Roll out the dough 1/8 to 1/16 inch thick, in a shape that fits roughly on a cookie sheet—approximately 16 X 14 inches using the Pate Brisse recipe below. If using the Basic Crust from "Art of the Pie", roll out dough to 14 inches. (The best cookie sheets are made of heavy aluminum that is not too shiny.) If the dough is not thin enough after you lay it on the cookie sheet, roll it some more, directly on the sheet.
 
2. Peel (or not as you like) and cut the apples in half, core them, and slice each half into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside the large center slices of the same size and chop the end slices coarsely. Sprinkle the chopped apple over the dough.
 
3. Arrange the large slices on the dough beginning at the outside, approximately 1 1/2 inches from the edge. Stagger and overlap the slices to imitate the petals of a flower.  Cover the dough completely with a single layer of apples, except for the border. Place smaller slices in the center to resemble the heart of a flower.
 
4. Bring up the border of the dough and fold it over the apples.
 
5. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar and pieces of butter, and bake in a 400-degree oven for 40-50 minutes, until the galette is really well browned and crusty.  Do not remove the galette from the oven too soon; it should be very well cooked. It should be very crusty, thin, and soft inside. Do not worry about the discoloration of the apples after you peel and arrange them on the dough. The discoloration will not be apparent after cooking. 
 
6. Slide it onto a board. Dilute the apricot preserves with the alcohol (or use 1 tablespoon of water if the jam is thick and you prefer not to use spirits) and spread it on top of the apples with the back of a spoon. Some can also be spread on the top edge of the crust. Follow the design so that you do not disturb the little pieces of apple.

Serve the galette lukewarm, cut into wedges. 

Pate Brisee
Recipe From:  Jacques Pepin “Everyday Cooking”
 
Makes Enough for 2 Galettes
3 cups all-purpose flour (dip the measuring cup
into the flour, fill it, and level it with your hand)
1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter, cold, and cut with a knife into thin slices or shavings
1/2 teaspoon salt
Approximately 3/4 cup very cold water
 
“In a well-made pâte brisée the pieces of butter are visible throughout the dough. If the pieces of butter get completely blended with the flour so that they melt during cooking, the pastry will be tough. The flour and butter must be worked and the water added as fast as possible to obtain a flaky pastry. If you work the dough too much after adding the water, it will be elastic and chewy. If you use too much butter and not enough water, it will resemble sweet pastry dough and will be hard to roll thin and pick up from the table; it will be very brittle before and after cooking, sandy, and with no flakiness.

This is deceptively simple dough. You may get excellent results one time and an ordinary pastry the next. Try it a few times to get a feel for it. Wrapped properly, it can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days, or it can be frozen.”
 
1.Mix the flour, butter, and salt together very lightly, so that the pieces of butter remain visible throughout the flour.
 
2.Add the ice-cold water and mix very fast with your hand just enough that the dough coheres.
 
3. Cut the dough in half. The pieces of butter should still be visible. Refrigerate for 1 or 2 hours or use it right away. If you use it right away, the butter will be a bit soft, so you may need a little extra flour in the rolling process to absorb it.

For one galette, roll half the dough between 1/8 and 1/16 of an inch thick, using flour underneath and on top so that it doesn't stick to the table or the rolling pin. When the dough is the desired shape and thickness, roll it onto the rolling pin and unroll it on the pie plate, tart form, or cookie sheet that you plan to use. Repeat with the other half or reserve for later use. Bake according to the instructions for the particular recipe.