On Dec 12, 10:00 pm, Terry Pulliam Burd >
wrote:
> 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"PulliamBurd
> --
> "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"
Terry, I made this yesterday - pretty successful. I ended up using my
square angel-food cake pan and I piled the phyllo around the center
tube. I lightly greased the pan (the directions didn't say to grease
the pan but I'm glad I did).
Here are my notes: first, you can't take a 14" x 9" sheet of phyllo
and crumple it around a 10-inch ring. You need 2 or 3 sheets for each
layer (I used 3). Second, there were way too many apples, especially
if you follow the directions and leave a 1" border on the inside and
outside both. Four apples would have been enough. Third, the sugar
and apples made too much juice for the brandy to ignite - it was too
diluted. But it cooked down beautifully to a nice, thick glaze. Also,
my vanilla bean was a little puny, so I added about a teaspoon of
vanilla extract to the apples, after the brandy. I'm saving the
leftover apples to top ice cream. The taste is incredible.
I made it yesterday and brought it to work today and it is still
crispy where it should be. I thought it would get all soggy, but it
didn't. (I didn't cover it overnight.)
Thanks for posting the recipe - definitely a keeper. If I were
serving this at home, I would warm the leftover apples and serve them
alongside in case someone wanted to spoon some over their serving.
N.