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    Home / Custards and Puddings / custard / Pink Pearl Apple Custard Tart

    Pink Pearl Apple Custard Tart

    Published Sep 18, 2010

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    slice of delicious apple custard tart
    I find it very inconsiderate of apples, pears, and quinces to suddenly burst into season in late August and early September, just when bakers like me are scrambling to make good on all the summer fruit recipes we spent the last 11 months ogling. Finally, all the berries, stone fruit, figs and melons are in season, clamoring, pleading to be baked, poached, pureed, jammed, and spun.

    And now, in the midst of the frenzy, here come the pomes to ruin all the fun.

    apples being peeled
    The Gravensteins let me know that they won't be around for long. The Boscs and Bartletts demand to be sliced and eaten, with cheese, pronto. The quince tree at Jay's mom's house begs for picking, poaching, and membrillo-ing, whispering of minced pies, sweaters, fires in the fireplace.Suddenly, though we still have another two months of warm, sunny days, though the box arrives weekly full of strawberries and plums, I'm browsing the 'winter' section of cookbooks and blogs, wondering what do with all those darn pomes. I look at the spice rack, at the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves, and shake my head firmly. 'Sorry, guys. I can't go there just yet.' (Though I've heard that you oughtn't anthropomorphize spices - they hate that.)

    close up of sliced apples
    In the midst of researching peach cobblers, raspberry cream tarts, fig focaccia and rustic plum cake, a friend delivers pounds upon pounds of coy pink pearls from her tree. Plain looking on the outside, their insides revealshockingly pink flesh the color of cotton candy, daring me not to use them.

    liquid poured onto tart
    So after a bit (well, a lot) of protesting, of shoving the apples in the fridge and defiantly makingpeach buckle instead, I settled on this apple tart. Layers and layers of thinly sliced apples are laid in an unbaked (yay!) pate brisee shell, a simple custard of eggs, sugar and dairy is poured over them, and the tart is baked. No spices to warm things up, just the smooth custard holding things together, the tender tang of the blushing apples, the delicate chew of a nubby crust.

    Though the crust is put into the oven unbaked, a few things ensure that it browns and doesn't sog up: baking the tart in the bottom of the oven, placing it on a baking stone or heated baking pan, and starting the oven at a higher temperature.

    slice of apple tart
    Serve this tart slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled, with a dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream. A bit of Calvados would make an ideal accompaniment. Leftovers (of the tart, not the Calvados, you lush) make a lovely breakfast.

    Light in texture and flavor, this tart doesn't even feel like a wholly inappropriate thing to eat, cold from the fridge, on a warm, late summer afternoon.

    Then again, summer in San Francisco feels like winter most of the time anyway, so who am I kidding...?

    top down shot of apple tart

    For more apple recipes:

    • Apple Rhubarb Ginger Crisp
    • Apple Huckleberry Pie
    • Apple Oat Pancakes with Cheddar and Bacon
    • Apple Chicory Salad with Fennel, Walnuts, and Grana

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this apple and custard tart recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

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    Pink Pearl Apple and Custard Tart

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Light in texture and flavor, this tart doesn't even feel like a wholly inappropriate thing to eat, cold from the fridge, on a warm, late summer afternoon. 
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Chilling time: 30 minutes
    Total: 1 hour 35 minutes
    Servings: 10 servings.

    Ingredients

    All-Butter Pate Brisee

    • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry or whole spelt flour
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 4 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut into 3/4" dice (1 stick)
    • 1/4 -1/3 cup ice water

    Apple-Custard Filling:

    • 6 - 8 large apples (pink pearls, or any tart baking apple), peeled, cut off the core, and thinly sliced
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoons for sprinkling
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup half and half, or a combination of milk and cream
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/3 cup apricot or plum jam

    Instructions

    For the crust:

    • In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and rub with your fingertips until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal with some larger, pea-sized butter chunks remaining. Sprinkle the ice water over 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with your fingers or a rubber spatula, until the dough begins to clump together and no loose, floury bits remain. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Chill at least 30 minutes, or until firm.
    • Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12 - 14" round (depending on the size of your pan). Fit the dough into a 9 or 10" tart pan. Trim the overhang to 1 inch, then fold it over to make a lip, pressing the sides gently.Freeze the tart crust while you prepare the apples and custard.

    For filling and baking the tart:

    • Position a rack in the bottom third of your oven and preheat to 425º. If you have a baking stone, put it on the rack. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the stone or right on the rack.
    • Remove the unbaked crust from the freezer, and begin layering the apples in concentric circles, beginning on the outside and working your way in, until the layers sit just above the top of the tart crust, 3 - 4 layers in total.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt until well combined. Whisk in the dairy and the vanilla. Slowly pour the custard into the center of the tart. Sprinkle the apples with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
    • Place the tart on the heated baking sheet. Reduce the oven temperature to 375º. Bake the tart for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the apples on top are golden and even slightly burnt at the tips and the custard is set, not jiggly. Remove and let cool at least an hour.
    • Heat the jam slightly in a small saucepan with a few drops of water until warm and loose. Strain. Brush the glaze all over the apples and edges of the crust. Slice and serve.
    • The tart is best the day it is baked, but can be stored for up to several days in the fridge.

    Notes

    Adapted from Once Upon a Tart.
    The original recipe called for a 9" tart pan and only 4 apples. I used a 10" pan... and 8 apples! So I'm not sure exactly how many apples you'll need, but somewhere between 6 and 8 large ones should be just fine.
    Some apples oxidize when cut; mine didn't, as they were quite acidic, but if yours begin to brown, toss them with a bit of lemon juice as you work to prevent them from browning.
    The easiest way I've found to prepare the apples is like so: use a T-shaped vegetable peeler to peel a ring from the top and bottom of the apples. Peel the rest of the apple downwards. Cut the apple off of the core. Then, with the cut-side down, slice the apples very thinly, keeping the slices together.This will make it easy to fan the slices into concentric circles.
    All-Butter Pate Brisee is adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook (or use a half recipe of sourdough pate brisee).
    Nutritional values are based on one of ten servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 200mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 3gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 475IUVitamin C: 5.3mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Pink Pearl Apple and Custard Tart

    Adapted from Once Upon a Tart

    10 servings

    The original recipe called for a 9" tart pan and only 4 apples. I used a 10" pan... and 8 apples! So I'm not sure exactly how many apples you'll need, but somewhere between 6 and 8 large ones should be just fine. Some apples oxidize when cut; mine didn't, as they were quite acidic, but if yours begin to brown, toss them with a bit of lemon juice as you work to prevent them from browning. The easiest way I've found to prepare the apples is like so: use a T-shaped vegetable peeler to peel a ring from the top and bottom of the apples. Peel the rest of the apple downwards. Cut the apple off of the core. Then, with the cut-side down, slice the apples very thinly, keeping the slices together.This will make it easy to fan the slices into concentric circles.

    All-Butter Pate Brisee: (adapted fromMartha Stewart's Baking Handbook) (or use a half recipe of sourdough pate brisee)
    3/4 cup all purpose flour
    1/2 cup whole wheat pastry or whole spelt flour
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 3/4" dice
    1/4 -1/3 cup ice water

    Apple-Custard Filling:
    6 - 8 large apples (pink pearls, or any tart baking apple), peeled, cut off the core, and thinly sliced
    2 eggs
    1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoons for sprinkling
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1 cup half and half, or a combination of milk and cream
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/3 cup apricot or plum jam

    For the crust:
    In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and rub with your fingertips until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal with some larger, pea-sized butter chunks remaining. Sprinkle the ice water over 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with your fingers or a rubber spatula, until the dough begins to clump together and no loose, floury bits remain. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Chill at least 30 minutes, or until firm.

    Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12 - 14" round (depending on the size of your pan). Fit the dough into a 9 or 10" tart pan. Trim the overhang to 1 inch, then fold it over to make a lip, pressing the sides gently.Freeze the tart crust while you prepare the apples and custard.

    For filling and baking the tart:
    Position a rack in the bottom third of your oven and preheat to 425º. If you have a baking stone, put it on the rack. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the stone or right on the rack.

    Remove the unbaked crust from the freezer, and begin layering the apples in concentric circles, beginning on the outside and working your way in, until the layers sit just above the top of the tart crust, 3 - 4 layers in total.

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt until well combined. Whisk in the dairy and the vanilla. Slowly pour the custard into the center of the tart. Sprinkle the apples with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

    Place the tart on the heated baking sheet. Reduce the oven temperature to 375º. Bake the tart for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the apples on top are golden and even slightly burnt at the tips and the custard is set, not jiggly. Remove and let cool at least an hour.

    Heat the jam slightly in a small saucepan with a few drops of water until warm and loose. Strain. Brush the glaze all over the apples and edges of the crust. Slice and serve.

    The tart is best the day it is baked, but can be stored for up to several days in the fridge.

    fork slicing through tart

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Barbara says

      September 18, 2010 at 11:10 pm

      Um, this looks insanely good! In past years, I made Alice Waters' pink pearl galette a couple times, what lovely apples! I haven't seen this type of apple out here in NY...

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        August 20, 2014 at 6:27 am

        Oooh, I need to try that!

        Reply
    2. nathalie says

      August 19, 2014 at 3:09 am

      I have to say that I recently found, tried, and loved this recipe. I read a lot of blogs but this was the first time I've been inspired to comment and thank someone for creating a recipe that was easy to follow, had beautiful photos, and provoked loud sighs of appreciation from everyone who tried the result. Thank you! Yours is easily my new favorite blog, and I really look forward to exploring your archives for gorgeous photography and excellent recipes. I'll try to comment as I try new things to share my appreciation!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        August 20, 2014 at 6:29 am

        What a kind thing to say - thank you!! I'm so glad you and your guests loved this tart, and I really appreciate hearing about it. Few things make me happier in life. Happy cooking. :)

        Reply

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    I'm Alanna, a recovering pastry chef-turned food photographer, stylist, videographer, and award-winning cookbook author. The Bojon Gourmet is a celebration of the sweet, savory, and occasionally boozy recipes that I create in my San Francisco kitchen.

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    the front cover of Alternative Baker, a cookbook by Alanna Taylor-Tobin, winner of the IACP Cookbook Awards

    My cookbook, Alternative Baker, contains 100+ recipes featuring corn, oat, chestnut, almond, buckwheat, sorghum, and other gluten-free flours. Find out where to get your copy! →

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Bojon appétit! 

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