Friday, April 19, 2013

PASTRIES & VARIATIONS: This is a good recipe to make a single-crust apple tart using sweet pastry dough. Hope you'll give it a try.



ALSATIAN STYLE APPLE TART WITH APPLES AND CUSTARD FILLING:

 

 

 

1 quantity of Pate Sucre, see basic recipe

filling:

    7 Granny Smith, or other firm-textured apples, peeled, cored
    6-8 tbsp. sugar, or to taste                           
    ¼ cup unsalted butter, divided
    ½ tsp. cinnamon, divided                            
    1 tbsp. melted butter to brush apples
    2 tbsp. Calvados liqueur

custard:

    ½ cup heavy cream                                     
    2 eggs, beaten
    3-4 tbsp. brown sugar                                             
    ½ tsp. vanilla extract

superfine sugar to dust                                    

2-3 tbsp apricot jam + 1 tbsp brandy

 

 

 

 
Roll out pastry to ¼-inch thickness to fit a 9-inch removable-base tart case. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line empty tart case with wax paper and fill it with baking beans or rice. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and discard wax paper and baking beans.

 

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Thinly slice 3 of the apples and add to butter in pan together with 3-4 tbsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. cinnamon and the liqueur. Toss well to coat and cook apples for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Gently mash apples with the back of a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.

 

Thinly slice the remaining apples and cook them in butter, rest of sugar and cinnamon for about 5 minutes or until just softened. Drain and cool slightly. Fill empty tart case with the apple puree and arrange apple slices, in concentric circles, over the puree.

 

Mix sugar, cream, eggs and vanilla together. Pour custard over apple tart. Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake 20 minutes more. Remove from oven.

 

Turn oven setting to broil. Brush apples with melted butter and sprinkle with superfine sugar. Place tart in oven, about 4-inches from the source of heat. Broil briefly until apples are browned. Remove and cool on rack.

 

Put apricot jam through a sieve and mix it with warm brandy. Brush jam over warm tart to glaze.

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