a little impromtu baking

 Tonight I had the overwhelming urge to bake. I’ve given up TV this month, and I have cheated a few times for things like Top Chef, an occasional baseball game, and nightly news here and there, for the most part, I’ve been pretty good. The few times I have actually been tempted to veg, I’ve been delighted to find that there is absolutely nothing on tv that I want to watch anyway… which is the great part about giving it up in the summer time. There is too much to see and do outside, and too much sunlight to waste time. That being said, I found myself a little bored this evening. I’ve been devouring books this month, but I just finished my last book on Sunday and wasn’t quite ready to dive into another plot-line and get emotionally involved with new characters. I felt like doing something active, and given the fact that I had already gone for a run and taken two yoga classes, I settled for something active in the kitchen.

I chose to ignore the fact that I had a half a gallon of home-made Marionberry ice cream in the freezer, and half of a fifteen layer crepe and lemon-curd cake awaiting consumption in the fridge, and opted to exercise my culinary creativity.   I decided quickly assemble an apricot galette.  I adore making galettes. They are so rustic and charming looking, no matter how they turn out, it is how they are supposed to look. I’m always so discouraged when my cakes are not frosted to perfection and lean to one side, so I get excited when the “not so perfect” look is actually desirable in desserts. 

 Before it went in the oven

 I was immediately drawn to this recipe, because of the addition of thyme. I love putting savory herbs into desserts, and lately thyme has been in the running for my favorite herb. I love how versatile it is. Let me tell you, it’s not just for stuffing turkeys.  Thyme actually makes a wonderful tea (which is really good for sore throats and tonsillitis because of the natural antiseptic properties of thyme), is great in simple syrups, and is the key ingredient in my newly famous Rosemary Thyme Sugar Cookies.

I will admit, my mother and I made this recipe about a month ago, and things did not turn out so well. She agreed to make the crust, while put together the filling, and since she had never made the recipe before, she followed it exactly. The crust was rather crumbly, and really hard to roll out (but boy was it rustic looking). Tonight I opted to add an extra TBS of water to the slurry part of the dough, and then drizzled in a little bit more as I was kneading it. It worked like a charm, and the crust didn’t give me any trouble whatsoever.  

It was the perfect dessert on a hot summer evening, and the leftovers are going to make a rather decadent breakfast for me tomorrow morning! 

The finished product