Helen Goh’s ‘crumpled and generous’ apple pie is crunchy like autumn leaves underfoot

Name: Helen Goh’s ‘crumpled and generous’ apple pie is crunchy like autumn leaves underfoot
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1kg apples (I mix Granny Smiths with pink ladies); 60g raisins or sultanas; 50g caster sugar; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg; ⅛ tsp fine sea salt; 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tbsp armagnac (or other brandy or dark rum); 30g butter; 2 tsp tapioca flour or cornflour

Helen Goh

April 23, 2026

Serve the apple, raisin and armagnac croustade with barely sweetened whipped cream.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:8

This rustic pie is inspired by the apple pastries of south-west France, in particular the pastis gascon, which involves paper-thin layers of dough being buttered and wrapped around fruit before being baked into something shatteringly crisp.

Traditionally, the filling is simply apples, sugar and armagnac, the region’s brandy, and while there’s a beautiful restraint to that, I can’t resist adding a handful of raisins for sweetness and texture. Armagnac is still my first choice but any good brandy works well, as does dark rum.

The spirit of the dish remains the same: crumpled, golden pastry giving way to softly spiced, fragrant apples beneath. Serve warm with barely sweetened vanilla cream.

Ingredients

For the apple filling

1kg apples (I mix Granny Smiths with pink ladies)
60g raisins or sultanas
50g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
⅛ tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp armagnac (or other brandy or dark rum)
30g butter
2 tsp tapioca flour or cornflour

For the pastry

9 sheets of good filo pastry
120g butter, melted
25g semolina

For the vanilla cream

300g thickened (or pure) cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

For the filling

Step 1
Peel, core and slice the apples no more than 5mm thick (use a mandolin if you have one). You need to have about 750g of apple slices, so add one or two more apples if needed.
Step 2
Place the sliced apple in a large bowl with the raisins (or sultanas), caster sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vinegar and brandy, then toss well to combine. Set aside to macerate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, tossing from time to time. Drain the apples, reserving the juices.
Step 3
Set a deep, wide saucepan over medium heat and add the drained apples and the butter.
Cook, tossing regularly for about 10 minutes, until the apples have begun to soften but haven’t taken on too much colour.
Step 4
Whisk the tapioca flour into the reserved juices and add to the pan. Cook for about a minute until the juices thicken, then remove from the heat and scrape the apples into
a large, wide bowl to cool.

To assemble

Step 1
Once the apples have cooled, preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Brush the base and sides of a 23cm round springform tin with some of the melted butter.
Step 2
Keep the filo sheets under a damp tea towel to prevent them drying out. Working with one sheet at a time, brush one side with melted butter then lay it in the tin, buttered side up. Press the filo gently into the base, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Repeat with five more sheets, rotating each one slightly so the tin is evenly lined. Scatter the semolina evenly over the base.
Step 3
Spoon the cooled apple mixture into the pastry, then fold the overhanging filo over the fruit, scrunching it loosely. Brush any dry patches with more butter. Butter the remaining three filo sheets one at a time and scrunch them loosely over the top to cover any exposed apples. The croustade should look crumpled and generous.
Step 4
Bake for about 45 minutes or until deeply golden, crisp and crackling. Transfer to a wire rack and release the ring from the tin. Leave to cool slightly.
Step 5
Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until soft waves form. Serve the croustade warm with the vanilla cream on the side.

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