French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream

Note: while there are multiple steps to this recipe, this French apple tart is broken down into workable categories to help you better plan for preparation and baking.

Make the Pastry Dough

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

   

3. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

   

4. Work in the egg yolk until the mixture looks like a fine meal.

   

5. Then use a fork to stir in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough can be gathered together and pressed into a ball.

   

6. Shape and flatten the dough into a smooth disc shape, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. 

   

Make the Pastry Cream

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.

   

3. Whisk in the flour and cornstarch until smooth; set aside. 

   

4. In a saucepan, heat the milk with vanilla bean almost to boiling. If using vanilla extract, add it later in step 6.

   

5. Remove the vanilla bean, then slowly and gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture.

   

6. Strain the mixture back into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking or stirring constantly, until thickened. Continue cooking for another half minute while stirring, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract, if using.

   

7. Lay a piece of plastic film on the surface of the pastry cream. Cool down the pastry cream by either chilling it in the fridge or over an ice bath, stirring from time to time.

   

Assemble and Bake the Tart

1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C.

   

2. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.

   

3. Place the slices in a bowl and toss gently with the sugar and cinnamon.

   

4. If the apples start to brown, you can toss in a tablespoon of lemon juice.

   

5. Roll out the pastry into a circle about 1/8-inch thick and fit into a 9-inch tart pan, trimming the excess dough. 

   

6. Give the chilled pastry cream a good whisk to loosen and smooth it out. Spread the pastry cream across the bottom of the pastry shell.

   

7. Arrange the apple slices in a pattern over the pastry cream and dot the apples with tiny bits of butter.

   

8. Wrap strips of aluminum foil around the edges of the tart pan to protect the crust from burning.

   

9. Bake the tart in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.

   

10. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until the apples and crust are nicely colored.

    

11. Remove the tart to a rack to cool.

    

12. While the tart is still warm, heat the apricot jam with the lemon juice until boiling.

    

13. Strain the mixture.

    

14. Then use a pastry brush to apply the apricot glaze over the apples. 

    

15. Refrigerate the tart when it has cooled completely.

    

16. Serve chilled or at room temperature.