Granny Smith Apple and Brown Butter Custard Tart
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil spray
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 large Granny Smith apples (6 to 8 ounces each) peeled, cored and cut into 6 wedges each
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with vegetable oil spray and in a food processor, pulse the flour with the some sugar, baking powder, and a little salt. Add the butter and egg yolk mixture and process just until the pastry comes together and turn the pastry out onto a work surface and knead 2 or 3 times. Press the pastry evenly into the tart pan and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 to 35 minutes.
Then line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill loosely with pie weights and bake for about 35 to 38 minutes, until the edge is set. Then remove the parchment and pie weights and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes longer, until the tart shell is lightly browned all over.
After then in a very large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add 1/2 cup of the sugar cook over high heat until just brown. Then add the apples, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly caramelized 12 to 15 minutes.
Then in a small saucepan, cook the remaining stick of butter over moderate heat until the milk solids brown and the butter is fragrant, about 7 to 9 minutes and in a medium bowl, using an electric mixer beat the eggs with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar until thick and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and then beat in the browned butter, scraping the milk solids into the custard mixture.
In the end pour the custard into the shell arrange the apples in a single layer of slightly overlapping circles and bake in the lower third of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is puffed and richly browned and transfer to a rack and cool before serving.
