Issue No. 25

Pastis Gascon /
Gascon Apple Pie
Ingredients for 4 to 6 people in a 25cm tart dish
1 packet (12 sheets) filo pastry
80g sugar
Icing sugar
For the apple filling
About 4-6 apples
3 tbsps sugar
About 75g melted butter .
60 ml Armagnac (you can use calvados too but it wouldn’t be Gascon but Norman)
Half a lemon
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (170C fan)/375F/ gas 5
Peel, core and quarter the apples, then slice thinly and set aside in a bowl tossed in a
squeeze of lemon, 3 tablespoons of sugar and the Armagnac. Leave to macerate for up to
one hour.
Melt the butter.
Brush the tart dish with melted butter.
From the filo pastry pack, take a sheet, brush with melted butter and lay on the base of the
dish. Press into the sides leaving the overlap hanging over the edge of the tin. Lay another
buttered sheet at an angle to the first sheet and repeat three more times so that the pastry
covers all round the edges. Keep the packet covered with a damp clean cloth to stop the
pastry drying out.
Spread the apple mixture over the base.
Brush a sheet of filo with butter and sprinkle with sugar (about a teaspoon). Scrunch it up
like a tissue and pop it on top of the apples. Repeat with the remaining filo pastry. You’re
aiming to create height and texture. The sugar on the pastry makes it very crispy and
sweet.
Pop it into the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t
burn on the corners but is golden all over.
The tart is delicious cold or warm – sprinkled with icing sugar (and you can also sprinkle a
little more Armagnac if you wish.