Croustade aux Pommes (flaky Apple Tart)

Units: 250 g = 9 oz, 1 dl = 3 1/2 fl oz, 100 g = 3.5 oz, 120 g = 4 1/3 oz, 30 g = 1 oz Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Put in the rest of the pastry ingredients and, using the fingertips of one hand, gradually draw the flour into the centre, working the mixture with the fingertips of your other hand until vou have a smooth, fairly soft dough. Hit the dough in the bowl for 1-2 minutes with your fist to make it smooth and give it a bit of body. Roll it into a ball, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a cold place for 1 1/2 hours. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Lay a smoothy, dry cloth on your work surface and flour it very lightly. Put one piece of dough on the cloth and start to stretch it outwards wich your fingertips, taking care not to tear the dough. The dough should be stretched so thin that you can see through it. Leave it in a dry place on an immaculately clean surface while you repeat the operation with the second piece of dough. Leave both pieces to dry out slightly for 5-10 minutes. Dip a pastry brush into the melted butter and sprinkle droplets of butter over the surface of the pastry. Scatter over the sugar (1), then cut out three 22cm/9in circles from each piece of pastry. Keep the trimmings. Preheat the oven to 230 C/450 F/gas 8. Grease the frying pan or flan tin (22 cm/9in) with butter and loosely lay 3 pastry circles one on top of the other in the bottom, without pressing them down. Arrange the sliced apples on the pastry and moisten with armagnac, then sprinkle with the sugar (2). Layer the 3 remaining pastry circles on top of the apples and scatter the pastry trimmings randomly over the surface. Bake the croustade in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until it is a delicate nutty brown, then use a palette knife to slide it on to a wire rack. Serve the croustade just warm, it will be wonderfully succulent. Give your guests a serrated knife and let them help themselves.