Caramelized Apple- Brown Butter Custard Tart

CARAMELIZED APPLE – BROWN BUTTER CUSTARD TART
www.RecipeGirl.com

TART SHELL:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, mixed with 1 Tbsp. water

FILLING:
10 Tbs (1 stick + 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, divided
1 cup white granulated sugar, divided
5 large Granny Smith apples- peeled, cored and cut into wedges
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1. Prepare the tart shell: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 11-inch fluted tart pan wiht a removeable bottom with cooking spray (can also use 8×11-inch tart pan). In a food processor, pulse flour with sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and egg yolk mixture and process just until pastry comes together. Remove pastry dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 2 or 3 times. Press the dough evenly into the pan and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

2. Line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill loosely with pie weights (or beans). Bake for about 20 minutes, until the edge is set. Remove parchment and weights and bake for 10 to 20 minutes longer, until the tart shell is lightly browned all over.

3. While shell is baking, prepare the filling. In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar; cook over high heat until lightly browned. Add apples, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, turning once or twice, until caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes.

4. In a small saucepan, cook the remaining stick of butter over moderate heat until milk solids brown and butter is fragrant, about 7 minutes (stirring often). In a medium bowl, use electric mixer to beat eggs with 1/2 cup sugar- until thick and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in flour and 1/4 tsp. salt, then beat in browned butter, scraping the milk solids into the custard mixture.

5. Pour custard into the shell; arrange apples in a single layer, slightly overlapping in a decorative pattern. Bake in center of oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until custard is puffed and richly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool before serving. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Yield: 8 to 10

Cooking Tips
*I found that many of my apples sank into the custard and disappeared from sight, so I saved a few apple slices, then baked the tart for about 15 minutes, then opened the oven and added a few more apple slices along the top (when the custard was beginning to set but still soft)- it worked perfectly.
**I made this tart the night before, covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated it. The next day, it was easy to slice with a bread knife when cold and firm, and then it was served at room temperature.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Food and Wine

PRINT THIS RECIPE using your browser’s ‘print’ function. It’s automatically formatted to print recipe & picture only.

RATE THIS RECIPE[ratings]