Ingredients
Directions
This incredible pie is a cross between the Tatin and the Tarte Normande. Made up of puff pastry scraps, almond cream filling and semi-caramelized apples flambe with Calvados!... Calvados is a variety of brandy made from apples (and sometimes pears). Like Champagne, Calvados has to be grown in a certain region in order to be AOC certified, and that region is Normandy in northern France. Applejack is somewhat similar to Calvados, and can be subbed for Calvados.
Roll out puff pastry into a 0.12 inch/3 mm thick sheet. Prick well and lay over a frozen baking tray and refrigerate to rest until ready to use.
In the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, almond meal and flour. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Add the egg and flavoring; mix. Reserve at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Cover pastry sheet with a parchment paper and an upside down cooling rack and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut pastry into a 9 inch/23 cm diameter disk. Bake for 15 min more. Top with 225g almond cream and bake for 30 minutes. Freeze remaining almond cream for later use. If using a convectional oven, baking time shall be lowered. Transfer pastry onto a cooling rack.
Peel, core and quarter apples. Heat up a large sautoir. Cover bottom pan with the turbinado sugar and arrange apple quarters. Give a good 5 min searing on each side on medium high heat. Flambé with Calvados. Use water or apple juice if you want to skip alcohol. When the flame is gone, turn off the heat. Add butter and vanilla and finish baking for about 30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before transferring apples to a baking tray; save the juice.
Spread juice over the pastry. Arrange apple quarters harmoniously – cut some in half in order to get a neat contrast.
Serve Grandma's apple pie at room temperature or just warm – Enjoy!
