“At some point around 9 pm on Saturdays, I get the urge to bake elaborate desserts.”
At some point around 9 PM on Saturdays I get the urge to bake elaborate desserts. This is the genesis of midnight baking and an acceleration towards almost 30-hood. Baking brings me more joy than [insert all the things twenty-something millennials should enjoy].
Despite getting tired about an hour into my ambitious baking endeavors (and this happens literally every time), this tart turned out perfectly. I remember the first time I heard of tarte aux pommes. To me it was nothing more than glorified apple pie. It still is to some degree but I appreciate it’s form as a classic French pastry dessert. Now, to me, it’s just on the apple dessert spectrum along with apple pie.
This recipe is step-heavy, but much simpler than it first appears. I started by making a sweet tart crust, which you can do a day ahead of time if you like. I added cinnamon and cardamom to the tart crust because I think it’s in my blood to flavor crusts. Why eat a plain crust when you can not eat a plain crust?
For the pastry cream, I borrowed quite heavily from The Spruce Eats except I went with vanilla bean paste and some other minor changes. The pastry cream really is a must. I think it creates a nice barrier between the crust and the apples so you don’t end up with a watery or soggy crust.
The apples – hand-peeled. I know, I feel so accomplished that I can properly hand peel apples at nearly midnight. Also, my apple peeler has been broken so I didn’t really have a choice. Granny smith apples are my favorite apples to bake with, but Honeycrisp and Pink Lady are also good options.
For the topping, I did not have apricot jam, which is what is traditionally used for the topping. But I did have fig preserves. So fig preserves it was.
To assemble, I layered the pastry cream over the crust and topped with the cinnamon sugar-coated apples. The tart is simply baked for nearly an hour and then brushed with the preserve topping.
Don’t be like me and commit the cardinal sin of slicing into a tart right out the oven before it has a chance to cool. I don’t really regret it because honestly perfectly chilled tarts are overrated and I prefer to taste my dessert at every temperature level. But, be better than me and allow your tart to chill – maybe even overnight if you’re a very strong-willed perfectionist.
tarte aux pommes
My take on a classic French bakery treat : Tarte aux Pommes or Apple Tart. The tart has a slightly sweet crust with hints of cinnamon and cardamom and is layered with a crême patisserie (pastry cream) and tart apple filling. Brushed with liquid fig preserves for my unique take on the classic.
Ingredients
- FOR THE SWEET TART CRUST :
- 1 1/4 cup flour, all-purpose
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tablespoon ice cold water
- FOR THE PASTRY CREAM :
- 3 eggs yolks
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup milk, whole
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- FOR THE APPLE FILLING :
- 5 tart apples (like Granny Smith)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- FOR THE PRESERVE TOPPING :
- 3 tablespoons fig preserves
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- For the sweet tart crust: In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, powdered sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until incorporated – the flour mixture will look like little peas.
- Using a fork, whisk the yolk and cold water into the dough and continue mixing. After a few minutes, eventually transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and continue incorporating using your hands. Once the dough is smooth, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
- For the pastry cream: In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar, then add flow and corn starch. In a large saucepan, warm milk and vanilla over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the vanilla is dissolved. Allow to cool for about 7 to 10 minutes until the milk in lukewarm or cooler. Very slowly stream the cooled milk into the mixing bowl while whisking the egg mixture.
- Once fully combined, transfer the liquid mixture back into the saucepan and heat over low-medium heat. Whisk the liquid in the saucepan while it heats up. Once the mixture starts to thicken (this should take only a 3-5ish minutes) remove from heat and continue whisking. Cover the pastry cream with wax paper and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the tart crust and apples.
- For the apple filling: Peel and halve the apples, and core the apples with a melon spoon or a teaspoon and remove the stem. Cut the apples into thin slices and toss the slices in a mixing bowl with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- To prepare the tart crust: Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a large circle until the dough is about one inch larger than the tart pan. Transfer dough to the tart pan and press into the edges of the pan – trim the excess.
- To assemble: Spread the pastry cream across the bottom of the crust and arrange apples on top. Cover the edges of the tart pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. When 10 minutes remain, remove the foil from the edges of the pan.
- For the preserve topping: Mix fig preserves and water in a small glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Strain through a sieve and brush the preserve liquid on top of the warm tart.
- Cool and chill for at least 2 hours before slicing. Serve cold or at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Transparency Moment : I don't keep whole milk in my fridge unless I know I'll be doing a ton of baking. But, I do keep half & half for coffee. I have used half and half to make this recipes (as opposed to whole milk) and it works perfectly fine. Just make sure you don't use skim or low-fat milks.
- If you do not own a tart/quiche pan, a pie pan works but may not be as aesthetically pleasing, if you care.
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