This charmingly rustic mincemeat and apple galette (also known as a free-form pie) is a cosy, homely bake that delivers big flavour with minimal effort.
An open form pastry case requires no special tin, making it both economical and approachable for all levels of home bakers. The spiced mincemeat pairs perfectly with fresh apple, creating a warm seasonal filling wrapped in crisp pastry.
Ideal for entertaining or a simple festive treat.
What is a galette
A galette, also known as a freeform or open form, is one of the simplest and most inviting ways to bake something special without the fuss of lining a traditional pie tin.
This rustic dessert pairs fragrant mincemeat with fresh apple for a festive filling that is both tasty and effortless to make.
The pastry is folded casually over the fruit, creating crisp, golden edges that frame the rich, spiced centre. It's the kind of bake that looks beautifully homemade, tastes wonderfully seasonal, and comes together with minimal preparation - perfect for relaxed holiday cooking or an easy winter treat.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- Plain flour - (US = all-purpose) is best because it helps give the pastry its light crumb.
- Ground almonds - makes the pastry shorter and more melt in the mouth biscuit like.
- Butter - I tend to use lightly salted butter as that is what I have in the fridge. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt. Using cold and cubed butter will help you rub it into your flour without heating it up too much as you work it
- Caster Sugar - I use golden caster sugar for most of my baking. It's the same as normal caster sugar, but it's unrefined. It is a little more flavoursome with light caramel tones.
- Egg - Separated. The egg yolk is used in the pastry to add richness. The white is used to seal and glaze the pastry.
For the Mincemeat Filling
- Cooking apple - I use the traditional English Bramley apples for this recipe. On cooking, the apple breaks down to form a thick purée. Other cooking apples can be used but you may need to blend them to form a purée.
- Cinnamon - add extra sweet spice to the filling.
- Sweet mincemeat - homemade is best and is really easy to make.
- Eating apple - I used a Braeburn but any eating apple will work here.
- Lemon juice - to prevent the apple slices from discolouring
- Ground almonds - soak up some of the moisture from the filling to prevent the pastry from becoming soggy on the bottom
Substitions
Nut Free - Omit the ground almonds in the pastry and use 225g (8oz) plain flour and 125g (4oz) butter. Replace the ground almonds for the filling with ground rice or omit altogether.
Quick and easy to make
Galettes are super easy to make. You do not need any special equipment or tins, just a rolling pin and baking sheet.
Not only is there no need to line a pie dish or tart tin with the pastry, which let's face it, can sometimes be a little fiddly, but they look so charming with their rustic homemade appearance.
This recipe could be described as the rustic cousin to my Pear and Mincemeat Tart. Which, if you haven't tried is worth checking out. Melt in the mouth hazelnut and orange, flavoured pastry. The pastry top is cut out using cookie cutters giving it some showstopper vibes making it a great festive dessert or perfect for a winter dinner party.
This pie on the other hand, is equally delicious but is quicker and easier to bring together. Making it ideal for a winter family dessert. Think of it as a luxury pimped-up apple pie, ideal to follow a family roast.
To make this mincemeat and apple galette, the sweet mincemeat was also mixed with puréed Bramley apple and cinnamon.
This, in my opinion, brings three benefits to the Mincemeat and Apple Galette.
- It subtly changes the flavour of the mincemeat to make it less sweet and even more delicious.
- It helps to make the mincemeat go further by bulking it out, great if you only have a little mincemeat to use up.
- Finally, it increases the moisture content of the mincemeat, which can be especially helpful if the open jar has been in the fridge for a while and it has become a little dry since being opened.
I love the casual look of a simple hand-formed tart such as this one and my Gooseberry Galette . It doesn't matter if the crust side is equal all the way round, thats part of the charm, but you can cut around a large bowl or cake tin if you want to make it look a little more tidy as I have done in this mincemeat open form pie. Though, to be honest I'm not sure it made that much difference.
To serve, store.
Serve hot or cold with ice cream, cream or custard.
The tart will keep for up to 4 days covered in the fridge. Bring to room temperature or reheat before serving.
📖 Recipe
Mincemeat & Apple Galette (Free Form Pie)
Equipment
- baking sheet
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 175 g (6oz) plain flour
- 50 g (2oz) ground almonds
- 100 g (3½oz) butter cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1 egg separated
For the Mincemeat Filling
- 1 medium Bramley apple
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons sweet mincemeat
- 1 eating apple
- ½ lemon juice only
- 1 tablespoon ground almond
Instructions
Make the pastry.
- Place 175g flour and 50g ground almonds in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
- Stir in 2 tablespoon sugar, then add the egg yolk and enough cold water to mix to a soft dough (about 2-3tbsp). Cover and allow to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling
- Meanwhile,Peel, core and dice the Bramley apple. Place in a small pan with 2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Cook over a low heat until the apple is soft and pulpy. Once cooked set aside until completely cool.
- Once the apple has cooled, place in a bowl with 4 tablespoons mincemeat. Stir to combine.
- Cut the eating apple into quarters and remove the core, then slice the apple thinly. Place the slices into a bowl and squeeze over the juice of ½ a lemon to prevent discolouration.
To complete
- Preheat the oven to 200℃/185℃ fan/gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry to form a rough circle about 23cm (9in) diameter, there is no need to be precise.
- Brush the pastry disc with some of the beaten egg white . Sprinkle 1 tablespoon ground almonds over the centre of the disc. Spoon on the mincemeat filling, leaving a border around the edge of the pastry.
- Pat the apple slices dry on a piece of kitchen paper, then arrange them on top of the mincemeat. Fold the edges of the pastry over the mincemeat to form a tart. Brush the edge of the tart with beaten egg white and sprinkle with a little more caster sugar.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. You may need to rotate the tray part way through the bake.
- Remove from the oven. Transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy as it is or served with cream, ice cream or custard.
Notes
What to make with mincemeat ?
After the Christmas period, I often find that we have half a jar, or so, of mincemeat lurking in the back of the fridge, hiding behind the yogurts and cheeses! It sits there for days, which soon become weeks, being ignored and overlooked.
Not wanting to waste it, after all, there is nothing wrong with it, the question is what to make using it.
While I often make this dessert around Christmas time, it also makes a great winter dessert to use up that leftover mincemeat too.
Of course you can make mince pies, ( I have a couple of varitions on the traditional mince pie) but also some other tasty recipes ideas for using up the last of thesweet mincemeat, which may be lurking at the back of your fridge.
Pin for Later
Never want to miss a recipe?
Subscribe to my newsletter Recipe Crumbs for all my latest recipes, posts and more straight into your inbox.
Lucy Allen says
Oh I'm so sorry for not visiting sooner Angela, I've just been watching your video and it seems galettes are so easy to make that I must try them very soon. Using a bowl to cut around is a great idea, I don't know how I imagined you do it before. I like the addition of more apple to the mincemeat, that's a really good way to add moisture and flavour. Will try this next year to use up my leftover mincemeat! Thanks for linking to my recipe. X
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Oh don't worry about that Lucy. They really are very easy to make - an awful lot easier than lining a pie dish! I think if folk don't cut around a bowl they just manage to roll the pastry into an aproximate circle which would make it look even more beautifully rustic. Thanks for your lovely comment Lucy, and you're welcome I'm amazed by how many amazing things which can be made in a slow cooker!
Angela x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Thank you for featuring my mincemeat oat bites. I love Apple with mincemeat and your tart looks delicious x #CookBlogShare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
You're welcome Kirsty, they really do look fabulously tastey.
Thank you for your lovely comment and of course for hosting,
Angela x
Jenny says
Mincemeat and apple go so well together, and why should mincemeat only be for Christmas? I love your free form pie too - so rustic and unique looking, and of course tasty!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
My thoughts as well - it's such a lovely concoction isn't it. Though perhaps if we had it all year long it may feel a bit 'everyday same-y' and not particularly special when Christmas arrives. Of course, though, those left overs need using rather than wasting them.
Thanks for your lovely comment Jenny,
Angela x
Corina @ Searching for Spice says
I love the idea of this! I didn't make anything with mincemeat before Christmas so unfortunately I haven't been any to enjoy any leftovers either but this would be lovely. I've never made a galette but they always look so tempting and rustic and of course like any pie, it would be fantastic eaten up as leftovers to so thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Wow, I don't think I can imagine our christmas without any mincemeat, for me it's all part and parcel of the whole thing. You know, until the other day I'd never made a galette either, they're so amazingly easy to make and as you say so fabulously rustic.
Thanks for hosting Corina,
Angela x
The Intolerant Gourmand says
Oh my word does that look good! I often do cupcakes with left over mincemeat stirred into the batter, or a pain perdue style pudding, but this sounds so good too! x #cookblogshare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Ooh I love the idea of mincemeat stirred into a sponge batter, and the pain perdue version sounds scrummy too!
Thanks for your lovely comments,
Angela x
Cliona Keane says
This looks beautiful, your photos are particularly amazing too! I've definitely got some mincemeat leftover in the fridge so I'll give this a go at the weekend! #CookBlogShare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
Aw that's so lovely of you to say Cliona, I've noticed a marked improvemnt in my images since we got the DSLR. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did,
Angela x
Johanna GGG says
You have made me think about my leftover mincemeat - it is still lurking! I have used it up in the past in traybakes, scrolls, flapjacks - but I often don't use it til mid year - problem is that once Christmas is over (when we pretend it is cosy and wintery in Melbourne) it just doesn't seem right for summer - but now I feel I should face it and get it out of there! Your pie looks fabulous - I love free form
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
I don't know why, but I've never thought of warm climes over the Christmas period as using Mincemeat, I've certainly learnt something there, and so I can certainly understand why you hold back using your left overs until your winter arrives.
Thanks for your lovely comment Johanna,
Angela x
Mandy says
This sounds like my perfect dessert - unfortunately I love mincemeat so much that I don't have any left! Will have to save it for next year #CookBlogShare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
We love mincemeat too Mandy and usually end up buying too much of it for just us and family which leaves us with some hanging around in the fridge.
Thanks for popping by Mandy,
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
What a lovely sounding and looking pie - such neat pleating. My freeform tarts look a lot more 'freeform' than that!! 😀 Great video too. And thanks so much for including me in your roundup!! Eb x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
You're welcome Eb, the apple looks absolutely scrummy, i couldn't not include it! Hahaha, I guess though that is the charm of free-form pies, the more rustic they are the better 🙂
Thanks for popping by and commenting,
Angela x
Helen - family-friends-food says
This looks fab! Thanks for the timely post - I have half a jar of my own lurking in the fridge...
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain says
I think many of us do Helen, happily it doesnt seem to spoil readily!
Thanks for popping by and commenting,
Angela x