The following recipes were chosen for their convenience and for their distinct tastes that will lend a mouth-watering twist to your usual Thanksgiving menu.

Enjoy!

Galette de Pommes

Instead of the standard apple pie, change things up with this unstructured tart. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or plain Greek yogurt mixed with maple syrup. This recipe has been adapted from Clotilde Dusoulier’s blog Chocolate & Zucchini and from Mark Bittman’s Minimalist column.

Start to finish: 1 hour 45 minutes (active time: 45 minutes)

The mixing ingredients for the pastry dough. (CU Independent/Alaina Ambrosio)

Pastry dough

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

7 tablespoons salted butter

Some milk

1 vanilla bean

Filling

3-4 apples (choose your favorite variety)

½ tablespoon salted butter

¼ cup milk

1 pinch natural brown sugar

The filling placed in the pastry dough. (CU Independent/Alaina Ambrosio)

Dough Instructions 

1. Heat the oven to 350 F. Use a baking sheet large enough to accommodate the galette, and line it with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Next, cube the butter. If you’re lucky enough to own a food processor, continue by putting the butter and flour mixture into the processor and pressing the “pulse” button until the mixture resembles chunky sand. If you don’t have one, use your hands to combine the butter and flour mixture.

3. Add a tablespoon of milk to the mixture and mix until combined. You should end up with a crumbly dough that forms a lump when you grab a handful. If that doesn’t happen after the first tablespoon of milk, continue to add small amounts of milk until you reach the desired outcome.

4. Split open the vanilla bean and empty its contents into the dough. Mix the dough until the vanilla is well-distributed. Now form your dough into a ball and cover it in plastic wrap. Leave it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

With the crust a golden hue the gallette is finished. (CU Independent/Alaina Ambrosio)

Filling Instructions

1. Cut the apples into thin slices. After an hour has passed, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a free-form circle. Place the apples in the center of the circle and create whatever design you desire. Put tiny chunks of butter over all the apple slices. Follow up a decent sprinkling of brown sugar.

2. Fold the outer edges of the dough over until they touch the outermost layer of apples. To make a shiny, sugary crust, I recommend brushing the crust with milk and then scattering some natural brown sugar on top of the pastry.

3. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the crust is a golden hue.

Spice-kissed Pumpkin Pie  

Try this recipe from Heidi Swanson on the 101 Cookbooks blog. This recipe is an excellent way to spice up your Thanksgiving menu. This pie is not only impressive, but also rather simple.

Moist Chocolate-Beet Cake 

Try David Lebovit’s Moist Chocolate-Beet Cake, which he adapted from Nigel Slater’s recipe book “Tender.” This unique chocolate cake is rather mild and extremely moist, and it will be sure to please!

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Alaina Ambrosio at Alaina.ambrosio@colorado.edu.