On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:12:29 GMT, hahabogus > fired
up random neurons and synapses to opine:

>sorry it was for naught.

Learning experiences are never a waste. It's how I sort the wheat from
the chaff, so to speak.
>
>Perhaps you'll run across a pastry dough that will fit your needs.
>
>The recipe dimitri posted is a killer and quite addictive.
>
>Another along those lines is using sheets of phyllo in a pie pan each
>sheet buttered and brown sugared and place a little differently over top
>of each other (each sheet is turned say 1/8 turn or so) so the corners
>are not in the same place. Then you fill and fold the excess phyllo
>sheets that is outside of the pan over top as the top crust...looks very
>rustic but depending on filling can be very very good. I believe the
>standard is 10 to 12 sheets of phyllo. And of course bake the pie till
>golden brown.

This is *very* like a recipe I made (twice now) from an LA Times Food
Section article. It's really a *lot* simpler than it looks and it is
*killer* good:

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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

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

(the LA Times sez 1 hour - took me slightly longer)

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

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