Today's Dinner

Today I gave myself two big cooking projects for today's dinner. The first is a galette (shown below).

 This is a version of Alison Roman's dish (recipe here, Times cooking subscription may be required). As Roman says:

Like a pie but with only one crust, like a galette but thicker, this deep-dish number is the best of all worlds. The buttery crust (made by hand for flakiest results) dramatically envelopes apples that are sweetened mostly with honey. A splash of vinegar is added for acidity, and, of course, there’s a little cinnamon (if you like). Truthfully, any apple is good here, but the tart baking varieties tend to hold their shape and give a bit more structure to the finished dish. Bake in a 9-inch springform pan for tall, festive sides, or a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate for a more rustic feel.

She described the process of making the galette on Thanksgiving as follows:

The first thing on my to-do list is to make that galette. I’ll need the oven space later — plus, the galette is genuinely better after it’s rested for a few hours, and it does not need to be served warm.

I pull the crust from the fridge to soften slightly while I slice the apples and toss them with the honey, cinnamon and other ingredients. I roll out the crust and slump it into a 9-inch springform pan, making sure to leave plenty of overhang (that’s what makes it a galette, not a tart). I fill the crust with the apples, fold up the sides, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, flaky sea salt and sesame seeds, and put it in the oven. This galette also works in a 9-inch pie plate, but the high sides of the springform are pretty dramatic, and I live for a little bit of holiday drama.

This recipe was part of a Thanksgiving meal Roman made that the Times had an article about. Personally, I really enjoyed the video that showed Roman making the dinner, step-by-step and dish-by-dish.

The galette took quite a bit of time, but I had it out of the oven before noon, giving me plenty of time to let it cool before dinner.

After lunch, I started the main course, black beans and rice. (An image of the contents of my pot is above). Rice and beans is one of the truly American (North, South, and Central as well as Caribbean) foods that we need to fully embrace. Ali Slagle in the Times says:

Not only is rice with beans adored the world over (see: gallo pinto, khichdi, hoppin’ John and Caribbean rice and peas), it even has its own Wikipedia page. This deeply flavored rendition is inspired by these comforting traditions and a desire to wash as few dishes as possible: The rice cooks with the beans and the starchy liquid they’re canned in. As the two ingredients cook together, the beans disperse and glom onto the rice. For an extra kick, sauté chopped jalapeño with the onions, or add 1/4 cup salsa with the stock.

There are many ways to make rice and beans, and I encourage you to find a way that you and your family, friends, or those you eat with enjoy and that you enjoy cooking. Slagle's recipe can be found here.

Oh, and one more thing. Perhaps it is obvious, but I really recommend you avoid canned beans and cook your own dried beans if at all possible. The time spent cooking the dried beans is fairly small compared to the difference in taste in the final product.