On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:54:49 -0700, koko > fired up
random neurons and synapses to opine:

>On Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:38:41 -0700, sf > wrote:

>>Peach pie! Why didn't you just say so?
>>
>>
>
>Lol. I guess I thought Crostada sounded more sophisticated or...that's
>what the name of the recipe is. Take your choice. ;-)

My croustade started out as an apple pie-ish, but through the magic of
phyllo dough, voila:

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Apple And Calvados Croustade

desserts

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter; divided
4 black arkansas or rome apples; peeled, cored, 1/3 slice
1 moist, plump vanilla bean
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup calvados
24 sheets phyllo 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 (apples sliced in
thirds seem a bit much). 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° F. Place a
10-inch tart ring on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or
parchment. Lightly grease the pan.* Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons
butter and set it aside. Unfold the phyllo dough on your work surface
and cover it with a damp towel.

3. Remove the top sheet of phyllo (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 phyllo, 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 phyllo 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° F. 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. (Croustades
traditionally are served using long scissors, never knives.) 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.

* Nancy Dooley reports: you need 3 sheets of phyllo for each layer of
crust (the original recipe called for 8 sheets of phyllo dough); 6
apples (original recipe) are too many, 4 would have been enough, but
the left over cooked apples were killer on vanilla ice cream; the
sugar and apples make too much juice for the brandy to ignite, but it
cooks down to a nice, thick glaze, so fughedaboutit. She also used an
angel-food cake pan and was glad she greased it. I absolutely concur
with everything but the angel-food cake pan, but YMMV.

Contributor: LA Times

Yield: 8 servings

Preparation Time: 75 mm


** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.83 **

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"