In some ways this is a continuation to the last post titled-- sweet and sour chicken where I talk about relationships and the idea of comfort. I am trying to capitalize on my pensive mood to write as much as possible because of how vulnerable I feel during such times. In this post I want to take a jab at the idea of change. Change to me are tiny modifications to a current template of livings. Things don’t drastically affect your outlook to life, but small things. Things like losing weight— it helped in body positivity, but that achievement doesn’t become my sole achievement. I don't drastically change how I live my life to lose weight. I make small manageable alterations that keep me motivated and happy. 

Like the weight, I have found other changes in my life. Relationships have seen changes. While most blame distance as the number one culprit for the severance of a relationship, I have instances where distance helped heal already bleeding ones— this was something that I was surprised by as well but I do think that sometimes distance just helps (though the Archit that posted about the sweet and sour chicken would beg to differ). I have this habit of finding random times of the year to take trips to meet people. In the past year, all my vacations were around the idea of meeting someone I love. Even Greece for that matter was an excuse to meet Morgan before she moved another 5,000 miles west. In the matter of a day, we went from friends who saw each other almost every day for four years, to not seeing each other at all. Today, even though the distance has changed, the relationship has not changed much. We still have the same inside jokes, I still call her for all advice professional or otherwise, and most importantly, I can't wait for our next 10 day trip. 

Change is so frequent that there isn't always time to process it all. And when you do, its easier to see the negative sides of the change than the positive. For years, I have focused so much on the negative. It fuels this innate sense of self-pity that slowly becomes a depressing blame game between you and your opportunity. The moment you begin to blame everything around you for the changes in your life is when negativity has taken over. Looking at changes as positive is harder because it needs this mix of external and internal motivation. You need to be creative to understand why change is a good thing and sell yourself on that idea before any one else. For me, its been a challenge to get to a point to see the positives in change, motivate to stay in that state, and then begin to find opportunities to extend that motivation. This blog is a product of a change and so is working in the marketing industry-- something for which I have no formal training. Motivating myself to find that positive in every change is what I have been doing this and I think I have come some ways but I haven't reached a point where I can create a template for it, just yet. The moment I do, I will be hitting the road as a motivational speaker (Archit lost, found motivation).

Galettes are the modified version of pies. And I believe that they are a positive change. I love galettes (I mean, this is my fourth recipe) because they break the mold, and allow me to be more inventive with both my filling and crust. My last two recipes had the crust made in a food processor, this time I just rolled it on by hand. I also complimented the filling with some cinnamon powder which gave a more rustic feel. The filling is made by brining granny smith apples in limes and maple syrup that sit on top of a thin layer of apricot jam. Granny smith's are amazing at soaking in flavor and brining them in an acid prevents oxidization which results in a beautiful baked apple filled with a summery fruit flavor. The jam acts like a glue that add to the stickiness of pie which is similar to what you get with a stone fruit galette. This galette is lower in sugar content and also has no added processed sugar which make a little (I know not a lot) guilt free. 

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour 

300 grams of unsalted butter, cold and cubed 

2 to 4 tablespoons of ice cold water

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

For the filling:

3 cups of granny smith apples, sliced thin

1/2 cup maple syrup (or to taste)

Zest and juice of 2 lemon

1 cup apricot jam or preserve

Egg wash and crust topping:

1 large egg (or 2 medium sized eggs) 

1 tablespoon of double cream

Preparation

Pie Crust:

1. In a large bowl slowly work the flour butter with your hands. Use a bench scraper if possible  to prevent the butter from melting. Add ice cold water and form a rough ball of dough. Don’t try work the dough too much like you would for pasta or pizza. 

2. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours.

3. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit). Roll the dough out to a 12-inch (30 cm) round. Using a round cap or pastry cutter (about 3 inches in diameter) make cuts. Don’t worry if its uneven. It goes with the rustic vibe! Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill while preparing the filling.

Filling

1. Toss together fruit, the lemon zest, and the maple syrup. Pile fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold the pastry over the fruit, pleating to hold it in. Again, imperfect is totally fine. Brush the crust generously with one beaten egg and cream.  

2. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool for at least 20 minutes (prime instagram picture time). Serve warm or at room temperature.