Gasconne Croustade or Gascon Pastis....The nun’s veil
Stretched dough & apples!

“This is a Gascon apple pie, and the amazing crust is so unbelievably thin that locals call it a ‘wedding veil’ or ‘nun’s veil’. This spectacular pie keeps well for a day, or even two, and can be reheated. ”

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Ingredients

• 1 kg apples , such as Golden Delicious or Chantecler

• 100 ml armagnac brandy

• 55 g unsalted butter

• 12 sheets of filo pastry (270g)

• 115 g caster sugar , plus extra for sprinkling

• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or a few drops of vanilla extract

• 1 lemon
   

Directions:

1. Peel, core and quarter the apples, then thinly slice and place into a bowl. 
   Pour over the armagnac, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/gas 5. Melt the butter, then use a little to brush a loose-based 25cm round flan tin.

3. Brush a sheet of pastry with the butter and lay it over the bottom of the tin, draping the excess over the sides.

4. Sprinkle over ½ teaspoon of sugar. Brush a second pastry sheet with butter and lay it at right angles to the first, then sprinkle with sugar.

5. Repeat the process with more pastry sheets, laying each sheet diagonally, until you have 4 pastry sheets left.

6. Drain the apple slices, but not too thoroughly as the armagnac flavour is so good, then mix them in a bowl with the remaining sugar, the vanilla and lemon zest. 

7. Pile the apple slices into the flan tin and spread them out evenly.

8. Brush the remaining pastry sheets with butter and sprinkle with sugar, as before, then drape over the apples, butter-side down, with each sheet at right angles to the one before it.

9. Draw the overhanging ends lightly over the top of the pie and arrange them so they stick up as much as possible, like crumpled tissue paper. They should completely cover the top of the pie, forming a light and airy crust. Brush lightly with butter.

10. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden, then very loosely cover with a sheet of tin foil. Cook for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Allow it to cool slightly in the tin before transferring to a serving plate. If you feel nervous about doing this, serve it from the flan tin.


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If you feel adventurous and want to pull your own dough here is the recipe, good luck!
Gasconne Croustade or Gascon Pastis....The nun’s veil

Ingredients of the dough:

• Dough (for 2 strudel)

• 4-1/2 – 5 cups flour

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 egg

• 1-1/2 tsp vinegar

• 1-1/2 tbsp oil

• 1-1/2 cups tepid water

Directions:

For the filling:

• 3 tablespoons (40 grams) unsalted butter

• 3 oz armagnac brandy

• 3/4cup (80 grams) fine bread crumbs (dry)

• 5 tablespoons (65 grams) granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 pounds (900 grams) sweet apples 

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the dough (divided)

• Confectioner’s sugar for dusting and whipped cream for serving (optional)

 

1. Start with 4 cups flour in the mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, egg, vinegar, oil and water.

2. Now combine the egg mixture into the flour in the bowl. Use as little of the extra flour as possible (about 1/2 cup) in the kneading to get a dough that flows when you hold it by the top half. Knead the dough until it is smooth and comes clean off of the hand. Depending on how hard you knead, this could take 10-20 minutes.

3.  Divide the dough into two parts. Store in small, tight-sealing, oiled dishes. Rest the dough overnight at room temperature.

4. For the pulling, you need a large table. Spread and clip a clean cloth (a colored table cloth works great) over a large rectangular table. Flour the cloth and turn the dough from one dish out onto the center.  With a floured rolling pin roll it out long and narrow, as much as possible. Brush the dough evenly with melted butter,.  Lift and stretch the dough to about double its size.  Brush the dough evenly with melted butter, concentrating on the edges. Lift and stretch the dough (including the middle) until it hangs over all the sides. When finished stretching, remove the thickened edge by rolling  it on a hand as it is torn off.

5. If the fruit is very juicy  squeeze some juice out. One one end of the long edge (about 6-10 inches from the edge), sprinkle with the bread crumbs, then sugar, apples, raisins and cinnamon

6. cut the dough to hang over the tart pan. coated with butter add the bread crumbs top with the apples, layer on more butter sheets of the dough

7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes (375'F)

 

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