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

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.

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