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I am counting down the days left before I return to the real world of 5:30 annoying alarm wake up calls and 8 hour work days. I know I’m lucky and shouldn’t complain about getting 3 months off a year, but it’s such a difficult transition, plus, I feel like whining today.

As summer unwinds and the classroom decorating and organizing begins, my brain switches to autumn mode. My thoughts drift to pumpkin patches, orchards, cinnamon and warm, delicious desserts. Not only do my baking ingredients change, so does my photography style, so expect to see more moody, earthy colors with a lot of natural textures involved.

Although our local orchards aren’t quite ready to share their apple harvest, I picked up a large bag of Granny Smith Apples at my local market. These are my absolute favorite apples (besides Honey Crisp) I love the color, the tart flavor and with their firm texture, they are perfect for baking.

I decided to use these delectable green apples in a Julia Child recipe that I had printed many moons ago. This tart is simple, gorgeous and absolutely delish. Serve it up some vanilla or cinnamon ice cream and be prepared to eat yourself silly!

Enjoy the last few days of summer…I know I will.


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Custard Apple Tart

By: Jamie
No ratings yet
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 9-inch pie crust
  • 3 cups thinly sliced apples
  • cup granulated sugar divided use
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons brandy or cognac optional
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar

Instructions 

  • Lightly spray your tart pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place your pastry dough into your prepared pan, poke holes in the dough with a fork and place the pan in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove your pan from the refrigerator and place a large piece of parchment paper on top of dough and fill with dry beans (or pie weights). Press beans into edges of dough and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the pastry to cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Reduce oven to 375°F.
  • In a mixing bowl, toss the apples with 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Put them in the partially baked pie shell and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while making the custard.
  • Beat the egg and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a mixing bowl until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Beat in the flour, then the whipping cream, brandy, and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the apples.
  • Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes or until it begins to puff. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the powdered sugar (lightly covering the top of the tart). Return to the oven for 20 minutes. Tart is done when the top is brown and a knife plunged into the custard comes out clean. Serve while warm.

Notes

  • This tart is best served warm and on the day it was baked. Although the flavor was lovely the day after, the texture had definitely declined.
  • I used a 13.8 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches rectangular tart pan with removable bottom. This recipe will also accommodate an 8 inch round tart pan.
  • If you do not have brandy or cognac, simply omit it, the tart will still be delicious.
  • This is amazing served alone, but is delish with a scoop of ice cream and a little drizzle of caramel sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 99mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 275IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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43 Comments

  1. Brilynn says:

    I love the cognac addition, I definitely wouldn’t leave it out!

  2. UrMomCooks says:

    This looks lovely! I enjoyed looking around ur site! Hope you have a great school year!

  3. pigpigscorner says:

    wow, gorgeous clicks!

  4. Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes) says:

    At first, I thought you used custard apples. I read the post twice to look for them. Lol. Love square tarts!

  5. Lynnette says:

    I too am thinking autumn with mixed emotions. But, I love the colors of the leaves and the all those apples. Great apple photo!

  6. Laura Flowers says:

    I love those marching apples!! How cute! Sorry you had to get up so early though. :(

    Laura

  7. Cathy says:

    Oops. I just read your photography tab. So I guess I should specify, which lens did you use for the apple photo? Thanks!

  8. Cathy says:

    Your photos are amazing! I love the one of the apples. Mind if I ask what kind of camera you use, and your settings, for that photo? I’m trying to learn. :)

  9. Sharlene says:

    This tart looks gorgeous. Can never go wrong with Julia!

  10. Camille says:

    Beautiful! I love warm apples and I love the shape. I’ve never seen a rectangular tart pan.