Some home cooks get by with a decent knife and cutting board. The rest of us can’t resist the latest gadget even though we try to keep our kitchen utensils in check. If you’re stocked up on thermometers, cutting boards and cookbooks, give yourself the perfect gift: an apple slicer. It peels, cores and slices.

You’ll benefit in countless time-saving ways, and an apple slicer can help turn out the perfect apple galette. Even when slicing apples by hand, apple galettes are easy to make, and they’re so light and unpretentious that you’ll have room for second helpings. Serve this as a delicate finish to your Thanksgiving Day feast.

Apple Galette (makes 2)

Crust

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 ½ cups unsalted butter (divided into 1-inch pieces)

water to moisten

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter pieces until coarsely mixed. Chill 20 minutes. Form mixture into a ball. Add water gradually if needed to moisten. Divide dough. On lightly floured surface, roll out each dough ball into a thin circle or rectangle. Place dough on baking sheet or sheet lined with parchment paper.

Filling

8 apples (sweet, tart … use what you have on hand and prefer)

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon granulated maple sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons powdered sugar (reserve for topping)

Mix dry ingredients, except powdered sugar. Peel, core and slice apples (this is where your slicer will earn its place in your tool cabinet). Cut slices into halves. Gently fold apples into dry mixture. Add lemon juice and coat apples completely. Spoon half of fruit mixture onto each pastry. Fold pastry up loosely over filling. Crimp edges. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350˚ until crust is golden and apples are soft. Remove from oven and cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.