Tourtière de Gascogne

BY JEAN-CLAUDE LASTERLE

For 8 pies (6 pies 32 cm in diameter and 2 pies 25 cm in diameter)

CHEF'S TIP:
It is important to respect the dough's resting times to prevent it from tearing.

DOUGH
4000 g T55 flour
40 g salt
440 g whole eggs
a minimum of 2 liters of water (and up to 1 liter
extra depending on humidity)
100 to 120 g rapeseed oil

FILLING
1 kg Golden apples
Sugar as required

ARMAGNAC SYRUP
5 liters water
3 kg sugar
3.5 liters Armagnac

METHOD:
Place the flour, salt, eggs and water in a beater. Beat on the 1st speed for 10 to 15 min. (Add water if necessary, depending on humidity). The dough should form a "pillow". The dough should be smooth and well-formed. Remove the dough from the beater and roll it out on a work surface, dividing it into 8 equal balls. Leave to rest for ten minutes or so, then roll into a ball. Oil plastic containers with rapeseed oil and place the balls within them before covering them with plastic film coated with oil using a brush. Leave to stand for 2 hours at room temperature, then place in a cool store at 4°C for 4 to 6 hours.

On a table measuring 1.80 x 1.10 m:
First stretch the dough by hand to 30 cm wide by 40 cm long. Leave to rest for 20 min, then stretch a second time to within 10-15 cm of the edges of the table. Leave to rest for a further 5 min, then stretch one last time. The dough should draw back 10 to 15 cm on each side of the table. While the dough is resting between stretches, prepare the filling. Peel apples and cut into 1 mm slices. Prepare the Armagnac syrup. Cut out four 32 cm disks to make a large pie. Place three disks on top of each other in an aluminum dish. Arrange the apples on the pastry. Sprinkle with sugar. Drizzle with Armagnac syrup. Cover with a disk of pastry and fold the edges of the pastry from the bottom inwards. Place in a preheated 210°C deck oven. Bake for 40 min at 200°C. Remove from oven and spritz again with Armagnac syrup. At the time of sale, spritz one last time with Armagnac syrup.

Jean-Claude Lasterle

Making Tourtière, a delicacy and a passion Jean-Claude Lasterle, who runs la Tourtière de Gascogne in Tarbes, is not a pastry chef by training. Once a medical representative, he used to drop into this store to sample his favorite delicacy. A joke told to the owner at the time marked the starting point of his gourmetadventure in 1986. "I said, 'If I want to eat tourtières more often, I'll have to buy the store.’ She responded that she was selling.” At the age of 73, Jean-Claude is well-known locally for serving only Tourtières and croustades. In his store, you can watch the manufacturing process through large picture windows.