Apple Custard Tart

Years ago, while visiting my sister in New York, she enrolled me in Nick Malgieri's Techniques of Pastry classes at what was then known as Peter Kump's New York Cooking School (it is now called the Institute of Culinary Education). The classes were held for three Saturdays and I would ride the bus to West 23rd Street for the five-hour classes. We learned the best methods for creating doughs by hand or machine and making filling for luscious tarts and pies and pâte à choux desserts, including éclairs, profiteroles, Paris-Brest, and cream puffs. This was one of my favorites.


1 10-inch pate sucree (sorry Nick, but I bought 9-inch pie crust. Too lazy to make one!)

1 Golden delicious apple
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Calvados (apple brandy)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Roll the dough into a 14-inch disk and line a 10-inch tart pan with it. Chill the dough several hours or overnight.

2. Peel, core, halve and slice the apple into 1/8-inch thick pieces, arrange on pastry, overlapping. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

3. In the meantime, combine cream, eggs, sugar, Calvados or vanilla. Beat by hand until well blended; strain and reserve.

4. Bake tart at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until apples and crust are cooked through. Open oven; pour custard cream over, being careful not to let it overflow. Return tart to oven for 5-10 minutes, or until custard is set but not colored or puffed.

For other fruit and custard tarts, omit Calvados.