Apple Almond Galette to celebrate my new cookbook (giveaway)
The kettle is on and the table is set. It’s finally time to share with you a project I’ve been working on for a little over two years.
I’ve filled notebooks with scribbles and lists, developed hundreds of recipes, and picked the best ones to test and include. I’ve proofed many drafts of the manuscript and styled food for hundreds of photographs.
I’ve been anticipating this day for a very long time: the moment when The Simple Bites Kitchen launches into the world and you all are invited to join me in my kitchen.
Friends, today is the day! Keep reading to learn more about my new cookbook and upcoming book tour. I’m also sharing a seasonal recipe from the book – Apple Almond Galette – and giving away five copies to you!
The Simple Bites Kitchen cookbook
The Simple Bites Kitchen is dedicated to you, my readers. Without you, and without this space, there wouldn’t be an opportunity for another cookbook. It has been your loyal readership and encouragement over the past seven years that spurred me to create the collection of new recipes.
As you know from reading along over the years, my kitchen is a place where our family gathers, cooks together, and celebrates everyday life. In The Simple Bites Kitchen, I bring my love of whole foods to the table in a collection of 100 wholesome recipes drawn from my experience as a mom and a seasoned cook.
The recipes are brimming with fresh, seasonal ingredients that are easy to come by. They feature simple instructions, inspiring you to cook with confidence knowing you’re providing your family with healthy and great-tasting meals.
The Simple Bites Kitchen also includes recipes to keep your preserves pantry well-stocked all year long, kitchen tips, simple tutorials, and ideas for homespun hospitality.
The chapters are:
- Nourishing Breakfasts
- Wholesome Lunches and Snacks
- Homegrown Vegetarian
- Fresh-Air Gatherings
- Everyday Suppers
- Simple Bites Staples
- Preserves Pantry
I know well the challenges that come with feeding a family and tackle them head on by providing lunchbox inspiration, supper solutions and healthy snack options in this book. The recipes are nutritious, fairly easy to make, and approved by my kids (important!).
While Brown Eggs and Jam Jars featured quite a few celebrations like picnics, harvest dinner, holidays…., this second cookbook covers the basics in-between those wonderful life events. It’s about how we eat from Monday through Friday: simple, healthy, fast – but never boring.
One more thing: Kids in the Kitchen is a big part of this cookbook. Each chapter features a recipe that my kids love to make on their own, such as Noah’s French Toast with Cinnamon Maple Butter, Vietnamese Summer Rolls, and One-Pot Shrimp and Pea Orzo. Sparking your child’s curiosity in cooking at a young age can lead to a lifelong interest in healthful eating and unprocessed foods.
If you’re looking for inspiration and encouragement for feeding a family, The Simple Bites Kitchen is for you. As of today, is available in bookstores across North America and online in the links below.
- Canadian readers: Order online from Indigo.
- US readers: Find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
- UK readers: Find it on Amazon.
The Simple Bites Kitchen Canadian Book Tour 2017
I’m going coast to coast with this book, hitting major cities and a few personal spots. I hope you’ll come out and say hi if I happen to be near your town. I’d love to connect!
- October 3rd. Toronto, ON – Penguin Offices, 6-7:30pm
- October 14th. Montreal, QC – Appetite for Books, 2-4pm
- October 21st – Ottawa, ON – Red Apron, 3:30pm – 5pm
- November 5th – Smithers, BC – Two Sisters Café, 2-4pm
- November 6 – Vancouver, BC – PRH offices. 111 Water Street, Suite 310 6-7:30 Drop in.
- November 8 – Calgary, AB – The Cookbook Co. Cooks, 6:30-8pm
- November 20 – Halifax, NS – The Independent Mercantile Co. 6 – 7:30pm
Mark your calendars, friends.
Apple Almond Galette
I had to share a recipe from the cookbook, and since our Thanksgiving is just around the corner, this tart feels like the perfect fit. We’ve recently been to a local orchard to pick apples and I have heaps and heaps of them around, just waiting to be turned into a rustic galette such as this.
This seasonal tart is often my go-to dessert for family dinners when I’ve volunteered to bring something sweet. I keep 1-pound packages of puff pastry in my freezer and I always have a drawer of apples in my crisper, especially in fall. The frangipane freezes well, too, so I often make a double batch and tuck away half for another time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound puff pastry thawed overnight in the refrigerator«
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup raw cane sugar divided, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
- 2 medium eggs
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 large Granny Smith apples or Russet
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons sliced almonds toasted, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured counter, roll puff pastry into a roughly 11- × 16-inch rectangle approximately 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to the baking sheet and place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Add 1 egg and beat until smooth. Stir in the ground almonds and flour until a smooth paste forms. This frangipane may be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- Peel and core the apples, then cut into quarters and slice into 1/4-inch wedges. Tumble the apples into a medium bowl and toss with another 1/3 cup sugar and the nutmeg.
- Spread the almond frangipane over the puff pastry, leaving at least a 3-inch border on all sides. Arrange the apple slices over the frangipane, overlapping and tucking them in close together.
- Fold the sides of the puff pastry up and over the apples in an easy, free-form way, making an edge of at least 2 inches. The beauty of a galette is that it doesn’t have to look perfect. Pinch the pastry folds firmly together to seal them.
- Brush the apples with the melted butter. Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush it over the puff pastry. Sprinkle everything with the remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the pasty is golden and the apples are soft when poked with a fork. Cool slightly, then sprinkle with almonds and serve warm. The galette is best enjoyed on the same day it is made.
Nutrition
The Simple Bites Kitchen Giveaway!
Thanks to my wonderful publishers at Penguin Canada, I have five copies of The Simple Bites Kitchen to giveaway to my North American readers.
To enter: please leave a comment on this post and tell me one thing you like to cook or bake in fall.
*** This giveaway has ended. The winners are: Sarah, Nancy, Anne, Matt and Laura Mayne. You have all been notified via email. Congratulations! *
That’s it! Giveaway ends on Tuesday, October 10 at 9am. The five winners will be announced here on this post, as well as directly via email. Good luck to all.
Recipe excerpted from The Simple Bites Kitchen: Nourishing Whole Food Recipes for Every Day. Copyright © 2017 by Aimée Wimbush-Bourque. Photos copyright © Tim and Angela Chin. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Desserts with apples – crisps, cakes, pies. A hint of maple syrup in them doesn’t hurt either.
I love to make homemade pumpkin pie ( with a bit of rum in it) for Thanksgiving as well as rhubarb pecan muffins.Thanks,Carol
Molasses oatmeal raisin cookies. Well, basically anything molasses. And adding nutmeg to everything. But my mom’s molasses oatmeal raisin cookies are the best.
Like many others, in the fall I love to make applesauce and pumpkin bread. My dad still makes applesauce every fall (I remember my paternal grandma doing the same thing). We never eat cheeseburgers at home without applesauce as a side!
Anything with apples, pumpkin, and warm spices! Fall is the best time of year to bake with all the precious goodies from harvest.
Lots of pumpkin muffins and homemade applesauce, it never gets old!
Applesauce, applesauce and more applesauce. 🙂
Roasted Butternut Squash soup. And pie – pumpkin pie…
I love, love, love pumpkin hot chocolate. I think it counts here because you bake the pumpkin and cook the hot chocolate part.
Cabbage rolls, especially your slow cooker cabbage rolls, and any dessert with cinnamon.
Applesauce. So simple and easy. Yet perfectly fall. Served with cinnamon and plain yoghurt. Delicious!
We like to make pumpkin pancakes for breakfast
Apple pie or crisp! Yum!
Apple crisp, pumpkin pie and mulled wine!
Congratulations! I love to bake Orange and cranberry muffins.
Apple dumplings are a favorite!
Your cookbook sounds wonderful.
Fall dishes include, chili, butternut squash and potato soup and definitely oatmeal with various warm spices like cinnamon.
Would love some idea’s with molasses after visiting Newfoundland this year and renewing that flavor.
Anything with butternut or acorn squash.
Canning is a part of me and is my life since 1976! I can fruits and vegetables from our farm and also beef and elk and venison! But I also love to cook and bake everything! Our garden starts in mid-May and ends in December-February, depending on weather! We enjoy 3 different types of potatoes, onions, and tomatoes! I prefer healthy and mindful recipes and it appears that you have many! My favorites are old and new recipes with any fruits or vegetables, breads, elk or venison concoctions – many with breads, grass/grain (some) fed Angus beef, and soups. Good feelings about drinks and more also!
Yum, your new book sounds so delicious! I love cooking with apples at this time of year. Crisp or sauce will be my next dish!
I always trying new recipes. Thank you for supplying me with those!
My favourite thing to cook during Falls is baked apple: my 7 years old cores them and my 4 years old stuff them with crumble speculoos, frozen raspberries or simple sugar and butter. While they bake, we have what they call a “grown up dinner” meaning we talk a lot untill the amell of the caramelized apples fills up the kitchen!
Chili, cowboy beans, big hearty soups. Smoothies, granola and oats with apple, pumpkin and/or spices.
I’m excited about making soup! Hearty soups that warm up cold days.
A warm Butternut soup with a good piece of bread and butter after spending the day outside with the kids! Miam!
Chocolate Pecan Pie with Butter Pecan Ice Cream on top!
Can’t wait to make pumpkin cookies!
I love to roast root vegetables and squash with maple syrup, oil, and balsamic vinegar. Also, baking anything with apples and pumpkin.
Wishing you great success!
Love making an apple & rice pudding combination that is layered & baked like my Mom used to make.
Congrats on your new book!
This time of year is all about SOUPS for my family and I.
Fresh veg especially, have to enjoy whatever is available at the market.
A favorite is squash soup with an apple and a touch of maple syrup.
I love to whip up a pot of autumn soup with whatever I have on hand–pumpkin, corn, carrots, lentils etc. Delicious with a thick slice of butternut squash bread (the one my kids always beg me to make!)
Congratulations on the cookbook release! I look forward to looking longingly at the photos and trying out the recipes.
I enjoy making squash soups and curries in the fall (and your apple pie steel-cut oats for breakfast…)
Anything with apple!
Any kind of soup! Just made a Potato and leek, which was delicious 🙂 !
Can’t wait to try your new recipes. This fall i’ll make bread. It’s definitely time 🙂 Best of luck with the new book!
Anything with apples, especially PIE! Thanks for the giveaway and best wishes on your New Cookbook!
Lucy
Anything with butternut squash or apples. Can’t wait to see the new book in person!
I love to bake treats with sweet meat squash!
Apple crisp, apple cake and pumpkin muffins are always a hit with the family.
Wouldn’t be fall without me baking those treats! So looking forward to your new book Aimee.
I love cooking roast chicken with veggies in the fall.
Love to make the apple coffee cake my Mom has made for years: full of apples, raisins, nuts, and chocolate.
How exciting it must be to have your SECOND cookbook out now! I bought your first last year and absolutely loved it, and have no doubts that I’ll love your second one.
As for what I love to bake in the fall, anything apple related. A good old fashioned apple crisp (or even an apple galette like yours!) are delicious.
Apples, cinnamon, butternut and acorn squash are all favorite ingredients! I love adding hearty soups and fruit crisps to our fall menus.
So many choices for fall cooking. Oatmeal, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!
I love to make gingersnap cookies. 🙂 Your cookbook looks wonderful- congratulations!
Autumn means a return to hot steel-cut oats with apples and cinnamon for breakfast. It means a big pot of soup simmering on the stove and whole wheat bread baking in the oven. Autumn means cheering the grandkids on in their pumpkin growing efforts with promises of pumpkin pie. Thanks for your inspiring blog with wonderful recipes.
Apple pies!
I love to cook that traditional family Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone had their favourite dish. The turkey is the highlight. My husband makes the dressing. He puts a mixture of white and brown bread in it with apples, cranberries, celery, and onions. I have him convinced to add butter and a touch of milk or half and half. And spices of course. My one daughter asks for the lime/lemon jelly mold with the cottage cheese and pineapple, much to the chagrin of my other daughter. Always a laugh around the table for this one. I always have turnip and potatoes. The green vegetables vary from my broccoli souffle, green beans or shredded brussels sprouts with bacon and lemon rind. Dessert is always pumpkin pie with whipped cream of course and apple pie. You know you have a hit when your granddaughter texts you and asks for the apple pie with the caramel sauce in it. I stumbled upon this by overdoing it with the brown sugar and cream in the mixture of a mountain of apples in the double crusted pie. It is now a family favourite.
My favourite season! This time of year I like to bake and cook pretty much everything that is coming out of the garden. Currently I am surrounded by tomatoes, zucchini, butternut squash and apples. Zucchini; baked zucchini and tomatoe casserole, double chocolate zucchini bread and lots grated and frozen for later. Tomatoe; soup, salsa, sauce, roasted and pretty much with every meal. Butternut squash; soup for sure, and I’ll be making your butternut squash casserole with apple and leek for Thanksgiving this weekend! Apples; pies (of course), muffins, apple crisp, with pork, salads and just eating them.
I received your first cookbook as a Christmas gift last year and guess what’s on my list this year? Oh yes! Your new one. Fall is my favorite time of year. A big pot of soup, the smell of turkey or roast beef slowly cooking in the oven and of course, green tea with oatmeal cookies. Yum!