Boozy jumbled-fruit croustade in Everyday Dorie can take different types of dough. Among them, the phyllo dough is Dorie’s choice, but my least favorite. The last time I made a similar one was a zucchini and rice phyllo pie about five years ago.
Even Dorie acknowledges that the phyllo dough is delicate to work with. It tears and cracks and creases — it’s simply annoying. Once you get over the frustrating part of the exercise, the rest can be fun.
I fill the croustade with dried and fresh fruits as suggested: prunes, dates, dried apple, crystallized ginger, fresh apple and clementine, all chopped up in small pieces. First, let dried fruits steep in boiling water and bourbon (I use kirsch) for at least an hour. Then add the fresh fruits. When you’re ready to assemble the croustade, prepare the cinnamon sugar and melt the butter.
Wrap phyllo layers over the filling and gather them on top
What’s annoying for me may be adventurous for others. That consists of brushing individual phyllo (single or double) sheet with melted butter and sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top evenly. Then drape the sheets in the pan. Similarly, build several additional layers of the phyllo dough. Spoon the fruits onto the phyllo layers. Repeat the brushing, sprinkling and laying as before.
Side-Notes: I’ve found it easier to work within the confine of a cake pan with a removable bottom. That’s what I did with the zucchini pie without too much trouble. Parchment paper is also helpful to shape and move the pie around without touching the delicate dough.
Finally, close up the croustade by wrapping the overhang phyllo sheets toward the center. That allows some degree of creative expression; I love that. Better is seeing the croustade come together after baking and tasting wonderful and flaky.
Croustade with Phyllo, Dried Fruits and Fresh Apples
Construct the croustade by layering phyllo sheets in a removable-bottom cake pan. Fill it with boozy dried fruits and fresh apples. Draw the overhanging ends lightly toward the center. Crunch up leftover phyllo sheets on top; and bake.
Ingredients
- FOR THE FRUIT FILLING:
- 1/2 cup/ 120 ml water
- 1/4 cup/ 60 ml bourbon or armagnac
- 20 pitted prunes, cut into small pieces
- 6 pitted dates, cut into small pieces
- 4 dried pears or 6 dried apple rings, cut into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 medium to large apple, preferably Fuji, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
- 1 mandarin or clementine or 1/2 tangerine, peeled and finely chopped, seeds removed (optional)
- FOR THE PHYLLO SHELL:
- 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting the top
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 oz, 99 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 16 sheets phyllo (9 by 14 inches), thoroughly defrosted if frozen
Instructions
MAKE THE FRUIT FILLINGS: Bring the water and bourbon to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the prunes, dates, dried pears or apples and ginger. Cover and set aside to steep for at least 1 hour. Add the fresh apple and mandarin or clementine into the dried fruit mixture.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
ASSEMBLE THE CROUSTADE: Melt the butter, then use a little to brush a round cake pan with a removal bottom. (I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easy removal and transfer onto a serving dish.)
Brush a sheet of phyllo with the butter and lay it over the bottom of the pan, draping the excess over the sides.
Sprinkle over ½ teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Brush a second phyllo sheet with butter and lay it at right angles to the first, then sprinkle with sugar. Repeat the process with more pastry sheets, laying each sheet diagonally, until you have 4 pastry sheets left.
Pile the dried fruits and apple filling into the cake pan and spread them out evenly.
Brush the remaining phyllo sheets with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, as before. Drape over the filling, butter-side down, with each sheet at right angles to the one before it. Draw the overhanging ends lightly over the top of the croustade 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.
BAKE: 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 pan before transferring to a serving plate. The croustade is best the day it's made or rewarm in a 350°F oven.
4 Comments
Kim
February 25, 2022 at 11:01 amWOW…yours is simply stunning! What a showpiece this would be on a dessert table! I just went freeform as the recipe told me to do…hahaha I am such a rule follower 😂
Shirley@EverOpenSauce
February 25, 2022 at 2:25 pmWell, I’d also say you’re a standard bearer, Kim.
Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)
March 2, 2022 at 6:56 amAbsolutely gorgeous!
Diane Zwang
March 4, 2022 at 7:48 pmBeautiful dessert and great idea with the pan. We enjoyed this one too.