Autumn Apple Custard Tart Food

FRENCH APPLE CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F (gas 7). Butter a 28cm/11" tart tin (no need to butter if using non-stick moulds) or tart ring. Roll out the pastry dough evenly, larger than the tart tin (about 4cm larger) and press well into the tin. Chill in the fridge.
• Peel the apples, cut into quarters and core them. Cut each quarter into 4 slices and arrange them evenly over the pastry, starting from the outside and arrange the slices in the form of a flower. Make a second smaller layer to fill in any gaps. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using a hand whisk or fork, beat the egg yolks, sugar, nutmeg (or cinnamon), vanilla and cream. Pour over the apples and bake for about a further 30 minutes (20-25 minutes for tartlets) or until the top has delicious custardy brown patches.

CARAMEL CUSTARD APPLE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 6. Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface until just thicker than a £1 coin. Use to line a 23cm deep tart tin, allowing the spare pastry to hang over the edges. Line the tart with greaseproof paper and baking beans, then bake for 15 min until golden around the edges. Remove the beans and continue to cook for 5 mins until the base in golden brown. Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/ fan 14C/gas 3.
• Meanwhile, tip the sugar into a large frying pan over a high heat. Cook the sugar until it dissolves, bubbles and caramelises. Carefully tip the apple wedges into the caramel and toss until coated. Splash in the brandy, if using, then cook the apples for 2-3 mins until just starting soften and the caramel has dissolved in the apple juices.
• Turn off the heat and remove the apples to a bowl. Pour the cream into the pan then, holding a sieve over the pan, strain in any juices from the apples. Gradually whisk the caramel sauce into the beaten yolks. Arrange the apples over the base of the tart, pour over the custard, then bake for 40 mins until the custard is just set. Leave the tart to cool, then use a knife to cut away the spare pastry and neaten the edges.

AUTUMN APPLE CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• You will need a 10 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. I place mine on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Prepare the crust. Place all ingredient for crust in a food processor and pulse until it comes together in a soft dough. No food processor? No problem: Mix crust ingredients together with clean fingers. Pat the dough in the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan working evenly along the top edges. Bake crust for 16-18 minutes until lightly Browned. Remove from oven to cooling rack. LOWER THE OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 350.
• Prepare apples. Place the apples in a decorative fashionable around the inside of the cooled crust. Sprinkle them with 1/2 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• Make the custard. In a medium bowl, beat together the flour, sugar and eggs with a wooden spoon. In a small saucepan, heat the half and half with vanilla just until the bubbles start to rise to the top. Working quickly, place a spoonful of the hot half and half into the egg mixture and stir vigorously. Stream the rest of the hot mixture into the eggs and continue to stir until combined. Pour custard over the apples in the tart pan just to beneath the top edge. Do not overfill.
• Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top of the custard. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until custard is set. Remove from oven. Microwave 1/4 cup do apricot or seedless raspberry jam until melted and smooth. I do this for 20 seconds or until melted. With a pastry brush, spread melted jam over the top of apples on tart. Cool tart on cooling rack. To remove tart from pan, press upward on the bottom of pan carefully. Can be served warm or cool. Refrigerate any leftovers covered.

RUSTIC AUTUMN FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into the flour with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (This can also be done in a food processor: pulse the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal; add the cream cheese and pulse until it's the size of small peas.) When you squeeze a handful of the mixture, it should form a ball. Shape the dough into a round disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Toss the sliced apples and pear with the orange juice. Whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cornstarch. Toss the fruit with the sugar-spice mixture and set aside.
• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Set out an 8-inch tart pan, or, if you'll be making a free-form tart (galette), lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to form a 10-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the tart pan or baking sheet. Arrange the fruit decoratively in the tart pastry. If you're baking the tart on a baking sheet, leave a 2-inch rim of dough and fold it up over the edge of the fruit (the pastry folds will overlap).
• Bake the tart in the preheated oven until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and brush it with the apricot jam.

TARTE AUX POMMES (FRENCH APPLE - CUSTARD TART)

Steps:

• For crust: Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface turning it constantly so that it does not stick; add more flour as needed (the dough might crack around the edges, most of the cracks don't matter since the edges will be trimmed after the tart is in the pan, if there are some big ones that will show when the tart is in the pan, patch them with pieces of dough before fitting the) when the dough is rolled out, flip it over the rolling pin and transfer it to a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom; fit it into the tart pan without stretching; roll the rolling pin over the top of the tart to cut off the dough hanging over the pan's edge; refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Place the tart pan on shallow baking sheet; fit the tart pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, fill with beans or pie weights, and bake in the middle of preheated oven for 15 minutes; carefully remove the foil with beans and bake for another 5 minutes.
• For filling: Turn the heat down to 375F; quarter, core, and peel the apples; cut into 1/4" lengthwise slices; toss them in a bowl with the sugar and cinnamon, then arrange them in the crust in concentric circles; bake in the upper third of preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until they start to color and are almost tender; remove from oven and let cool while preparing the custard.
• For custard: Beat the egg and sugar together in a mixing bowl until mixture is thick, pale yellow, and falls back on itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon; beat in the flour, then the cream, and finally the cognac; pour the mixture over the apples; it should come almost to the top of the pastry shell; return to oven for 10 minutes, or until cream begins to puff.
• Sprinkle with icing sugar (placed in a sieve and sprinkled evenly over) and return to oven for 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Tart is done when top has browned and a knife plunged into the custard comes out clean; unmold the tart; cool 10 minutes and serve.

APPLE CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Prick the bottom of the shell and chill for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• Line the unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Fill tart pan with pie weights or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface.
• Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly browned.
• Remove weights and cool crust on wire rack.
• In a small saucepan heat the apricot preserves until boiling.
• Remove from heat and strain to get rid of lumps. Add the Cognac
• When cool, spread a thin layer of warm apricot glaze over the bottom and sides of the tart.
• Let the glaze dry between 20 - 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl whisk the flour and sugar together.
• Mix in the eggs and stir with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half-and-half until it just starts to boil and the cream foams up.
• Remove from heat and gradually whisk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
• Whisk in the Apple Brandy.
• Add vanilla now and set this mixture aside while you prepare the apples.
• Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the 2 - 4 tablespoons sugar.
• Add the apples and sauté until they begin to soften, approximately 5 - 10 minutes. Set the cooked apples aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Arrange the apple wedges in concentric circles on top of the cooled and glazed tart shell. Carefully pour the custard over the apples to just below the top of the tart pan
• Sprinkle lightly with the Cinnamon Sugar.
• Place tart pan on a larger baking sheet to make it easier to remove from oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the custard has set.
• Place the tart under the broiler in the oven just long enough to caramelize the sugar. To prevent the edges of the tart shell from over-browning, you can cover them with a thin piece of aluminum foil or pie shields.
• Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.