I haven't tried this recipe yet, but the photo and the recipe in the
LA Times today (yes, another LA Times recipe - they do get a few
things right :-) looked so good that I'm itching to make it this
weekend. I had never heard of a "croustade," but the photo and recipe
in the Times looked for all the world like a "deconstructed" apple pie
on steroids. If I can pull this off and have it look half as cool (and
taste half as good as it looks), I am going to be seriously jazzed.
Then again, I don't get out much <g>
@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format
Apple And Calvados Croustade
desserts
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter, divided
6 black arkansas or rome apples; peeled, cored, 1/3 slices
1 moist, plump vanilla bean
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup calvados
8 sheets filo dough
1/2 cup powdered sugar (or more, as needed)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, divided
The recipe is traditional from Gascony, hence the Armagnac, but
Calvados, the apple brandy from Normandy, is also wonderful. Feel free
to use the traditional Armagnac, if you prefer. Be sure to use a large
enough skillet (13 inches is perfect) so the apples caramelize
properly.
1. Melt 4 tablespoons (one-half stick) of butter in a large skillet
over medium heat. Place the apple slices in a bowl. Cut the vanilla
bean lengthwise in half and, using the tip of a small knife, scrape
the seeds over the apples and drop the pod on top. When the butter is
foamy, add the apples with the vanilla and the sugar and cook,
stirring very gently but frequently, until the apples are lightly
caramelized and soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the Calvados and,
using a long match and standing well back, set it aflame. When the
flames subside, turn the apples over in the Calvados; when the flames
have died out and the Calvados has reduced to a glaze, transfer the
apples to a bowl and allow them to cool to room temperature.
2. Center a rack in the oven and heat it to 350 degrees. Place a
10-inch tart ring on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or
parchment. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter and set it aside.
Unfold the filo dough on your work surface and cover it with a damp
towel.
3. Remove the top sheet of filo (re-cover the remaining sheets), brush
it lightly with butter, and dust it with powdered sugar shaken from a
fine-mesh strainer. Gently and loosely crumple the dough into a circle
and lay it into the pastry ring. Sprinkle it with about one-fifth of
the almonds. Repeat this procedure three more times, until you have
four buttered, sugared and almond-sprinkled sheets of filo layered in
the ring. Do not press them together -- let them keep some height.
4. Spoon the apples into the center of the croustade, leaving a 1-inch
border bare. Working as you did before, butter, sugar and crumple a
sheet of filo, fitting it over the apples. Sprinkle this layer with
the remaining almonds, and cover this with another crumpled sheet of
buttered and sugared filo. Do a little styling and draping; arrange
the filo so it looks good.
5. Slide the croustade into the oven and bake for about 10 to 12
minutes, watching the top of the tart carefully to make certain it
doesn't brown too much. The top should be just lightly browned. Remove
the croustade from the oven.
6. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Butter and sugar
another sheet of filo, loosely crumple it and place it on the last
layer to make a light, airy crown. Bake the tart for 5 to 10 minutes,
or until lightly browned, then remove it from the oven again.
7. Butter the last sheet of filo and, once again, crumple it to make a
crown. Place it on top of the croustade and dust it heavily with the
remaining powdered sugar. Return the tart to the oven and bake until
the top layer caramelizes evenly, about 5 to 10 minutes. Check the
progress of the sugar frequently because it can go from brown to
burned in a flash. Pull the croustade from the oven as soon as the top
is a golden caramel color and allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
8. To serve, lift off the tart ring and, using two large, wide metal
spatulas, transfer the croustade to a serving plate. Serve the tart
warm or at room temperature the day it is made, with crème fraîche,
whipped cream (or even better, crème fraîche lightened with whipped
cream) or vanilla ice cream.
Contributor: LA Times
Yield: 8 servings
Preparation Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
(Page with the photo:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food...k=leftnav-food )
Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
--
"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."
-- Duncan Hines
To reply, replace "meatloaf" with "cox"