Gersois Pastis – Pastis Gascon

The world of doughs has always been extraordinary to me, in fact I have two weaknesses; laminated doughs and very extensible and elastic doughs. This does not leave aside the enriched doughs under any circumstances… But we always have some preferences. Today I show you how to prepare Gersois Pastis – Pastis Gascon in its easiest and simplest format, because this elaboration made in an artisanal way, is very laborious.

First of all, I want to clarify that the presentation that I leave you is not the traditional one. Sometimes I like to vary a little some details and this is one of them. It is true that the base and essence of the recipe is practically the same, but I wanted to clarify it for those people who are more purists and may perceive the elaboration as wrong. It is a version of the famous cake.

Gersois Pastis – Pastis Gascon is a specialty of Gascony, a region in the southwest of France that during the Ancien Régime (the system of government prior to the French Revolution) was part of the province of Guiana and Gascony. It is an apple tart flavored with brandy and decorated with filo pastry creating a rose-like appearance with beautiful volumes.

Pastis Gascon origin.

I must admit that when searching for its origin, I have found many conflicting versions. What makes me doubt if there is confusion between different recipes or, on the contrary, depending on the area where we can find this cake, we will see it called differently.

I found these denominations in which all of them create a connection with pastis gascon; “Tourtière“, “Croustade aux pommes“, “Gersois pastis“, “Tourtière landais” or “Tourtère des Landes“.

All the previously mentioned  are made in the same way and most of them have a common origin. This makes me think that the variation in the name may be due to the place where it can be found.

The origin of this dough dates back to the time of the invasion of the Arabs in Europe, who transmitted their technique of preparing very thin dough, the filo dough.

At that time, pastis was reserved for religious ceremonies and important family events, since the preparation of the dough requires a lot of technique and time.

Filo dough.

This delicate dough has its origins in the gastronomy of the Middle East, Turkey and the Balkans. It is a very thin, almost translucent dough, even reminiscent of onion paper. In fact, once it is completely stretched, you can read through it.

In the Apfelstrudelrecipe I show you how to make phyllo dough at home.

This dough was born thanks to the existence of breads made with folded doughs that later evolved to be worked with great refinement in the kitchens of the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul.

It is said that this pastry is inspired by the traditional Moroccan pastela, a pastry that combines savory and sweet flavors.

This pastry, reminiscent of Turkish baklava or Austrian strudel, would have been brought by the Arabs during the Arab invasions in the 8th century. This pastry quickly became a regional product and indispensable for important celebrations.

Traditionally, the dough for making Gascon pastis was spread and spread with goose fat, which is very common in the region, although nowadays it has been replaced by butter.

Every summer, the towns of Penne d’Agenais and Tournon d’Agenais organize a tourtière festival to honor this specialty.

According to the history of the Tourtière des Landes.

Its origin dates back to ancient Rome, where it was called “crustata” in Latin. A cake that is composed of numerous thin layers of buttery and sweet dough.

There is an anecdote about this cake and it is that the dough spreads so thinly and widely, until it becomes almost transparent, that it has come to be known as “bride’sveil“. It is possible that you will also find this denomination “bridal veil cake or bride’sveil cake“.

Traditionally, the apple is left to macerate overnight in Armagnac, a dry white wine distillate obtained from 4 different grape varieties.

The tourtière landaise is at the origin of two traditional festivals in the southwest of France and, in particular, near Agen, in the Lot and Garonne valleys.

Every year, on the second Sunday of July, in Penne-d’Agenais (30 km north of Agen), a contest is organized for the best tourtière. The winning cake is presented to the public by the town’s folk group, the Tourtiérayres.

A second traditional tourtière festival takes place every year in August in Tournon-d’Agenais, 40 km from Agen.

Making Gersois Pastis – Pastis Gascon.

In my case I will show you how to make this cake in its simplest format. We will use store-bought phyllo dough, although above I have left you how to make it at home and if you dare, it will be great.

Instead of making a base with filo dough, an apple filling and top decoration with filo dough, I will show you how to make a version of this marvel.

We will make small bags of filo dough, in which we will introduce some almond cream and apple previously cooked with brandy. Then we will bake in two batches; one of them to harden and cook most of the preparation, and the second one to brown, finish cooking and dry the part of the filling that will have juices and butter.

A dessert that you can enjoy during the day and without having to complicate too much.