Apple Tart + Spiced Pastry Cream + Cinnamon Shortbread
This decked out apple tart consists of a cinnamon shortbread tart shell, filled with a pastry cream spiked with autumn spices and topped with sliced apples. Every bite literally brings back poignant memories of Thanksgiving past.
Instructions
- 1
Just so the food processor can process your dough easier, cut up the butter into cubes before putting them in the freezer to chill.
- 2
In a food processor, dump in the dry ingredients for your crust. That would be the flour, brown sugar, confectioner's sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- 3
Pulse it to get rid of any large lumps.
- 4
Then, add your chilled butter and let it run until the mixture resembles fine to coarse sand.
- 5
Drizzle in your ice cold water a tablespoon at a time until a nice dough comes together. You're looking for a dough that isn't too wet, but comes together when you squeeze it in your hands.
- 6
Bring the dough together, trying to knead as little as possible and wrap it in plastic to rest in the fridge.
- 7
Rest for twenty minutes.
- 8
Prepare the pastry cream.
- 9
For the allspice I'll just grind up a few seeds in a spice grinder. The nutmeg is easier, just grate it on a microplane.
- 10
Add the allspice, nutmeg, ground ginger, salt, and cinnamon to a saucepan.
- 11
Along with the spices add 1 3/4 cup of milk, a 1/3 cup of brown sugar, and the vanilla.
- 12
Whisk and put it on medium to come up to a simmer.
- 13
Once it comes up to a simmer, cut the heat and set it aside.
- 14
Separate six egg yolks, add to it the cornstarch, a 1/2 cup of milk, and the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar.
- 15
Whisk till smooth.
- 16
Now in one hand pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, and with the other whisk constantly so the eggs don't curdle.
- 17
Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and whisk constantly over medium heat until it thickens, about a minute.
- 18
Keep whisking it to get rid of any lumps.
- 19
Cover it with plastic wrap remembering to touch the plastic to the cream so it doesn't form a skin. Refrigerate until needed. It'll get thicker as it cools.
- 20
Preheat the oven to 350F.
- 21
Butter a 10 inch tart pan preferably with a removable bottom.
- 22
Press the dough into the pan and work it so it covers the bottom evenly and runs up the sides.
- 23
Dock the bottom of the crust and cover it with a buttered sheet of foil.
- 24
Fill the pan with baking beans or uncooked rice.
- 25
Blind bake for ten minutes, pour the beans out (you can still reuse them) and remove the foil.
- 26
Bake it again for another 5-10 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.
- 27
Let the shortbread cool for 15 minutes on the counter.
- 28
Fill a pastry bag with the pastry cream.
- 29
Unmold the tart shell.
- 30
Pipe your cream circularly starting from the center out.
- 31
Refrigerate it so it sets.
- 32
Core and thinly slice some apples (whichever variety you want).
- 33
Toss the sliced apples in a bowl of lemon juice and water so they don't oxidize.
- 34
Finally, line the tart with the apple slices. Keep going around until you've completely lined the perimeter.
- 35
Then the next spiral go around the other way.
- 36
Lastly garnish with the prettiest apple slices sticking up from the center.
- 37
Chill.
- 38
When you're ready to serve brush the top with calvados or apple marmalade to make the top shine.
- 39
All that's left to do is enjoy! And as always, Chow!