Julia Child’s Tarte Normande aux Pommes, a.k.a. Custard Apple Tart from Mastering the Art of French Cooking is amazing. Unlike many desserts, this tart is not overly sweet. It is, however, quite delicious and has the perfect blend of apples and custard.
I first blogged about this incredible confection on December 6, 2012, and decided that it was time to update the post. The recipe is exactly the same. However, all of the photographs are new, and the text has been updated. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Julia Child’s Tarte Normande Aux Pommes:
I used the following ingredients for this awesome tart: Baked tart shell, Granny Smith apples, sugar, cinnamon, egg, flour, heavy cream, Calvados (apple brandy), and confectioners’ sugar.
Making Julia Child’s Tarte Normande Aux Pommes:
Like many of Julia’s recipes, the preparation was multi-step. First, I pre-baked an 8-inch tart shell. I was lazy here and used store-bought pie crust.
Then, I peeled and cored two Granny Smith apples, and sliced them into thin slices. I tossed the apples with sugar and cinnamon, and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the apples had rendered some juices and the sugar and cinnamon had become syrupy. I carefully arranged the apples in the bottom of the tart shell. Then, I baked the apples in a preheated 375° F oven until they were tender. This took 20 minutes. I removed the apples from the oven to cool a bit.
While the apples were cooling, I made the custard. First, I beat the egg with the sugar until the mixture had thickened and was a pale yellow. This took about five minutes with my electric mixer on high. Then I added the flour and beat the mixture until the flour was well incorporated. Next, I added the heavy cream and Calvados. If I hadn’t had the Calvados, I could have used a good brandy or cognac in its place. Once the custard was ready, I slowly poured it over the apples.
I returned the tart to the 375° F oven for 10 minutes, at which time, it had begun to puff up a little bit. Then, I sprinkled a Tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar over the top of the custard, and baked the tart for an additional 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes, the custard had puffed up quite a bit. I let the tart cool on the baking pan on a wire rack before removing it to my cake stand. As it cooled, the custard lost its puffiness, and sank down in the center.
Per Julia’s suggestion, I served the tart warm with a glass of Calvados. The result was an amazing Tarte Normande aux Pommes. Yum!
Tarte Normande aux Pommes (Julia Child's Custard Apple Tart adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, p 637)
Ingredients
- 1 8-inch partially baked pastry shell placed on a baking sheet (See Note 1)
Apples
- 2 Granny Smith apples
- ⅓ cup (2.33 ounces, 65 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Custard
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (2.33 ounces, 65 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (1.25 ounces, 35 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (4 ounces, 113 ml), heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces, 43 ml) Calvados or cognac
Other
- 1 Tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
Apples
- Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut in to ⅛-inch lengthwise slices. Toss the apples in a bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Arrange apples in the pastry shell. Bake in the upper third of a preheated 375° F oven for 20 minutes, or until they start to color and are almost tender. Remove from oven and let cool while preparing the custard.
Custard
- Beat the egg and sugar together in a mixing bowl until mixture is thick, pale yellow and falls back on itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon, about 5 minutes. Beat in the flour, then the cream, and finally the Calvados or cognac. Pour the mixture over the apples. It should come almost to the top of the pastry shell.
- Return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the custard begins to puff.
Other
- Remove from oven, and sprinkle on the confectioners' sugar. Return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes more. The tart is done when the top has browned and a toothpick plunged into the custard comes out clean.
- Slide tart onto a rack or serving dish. Yield: 6 servings. (See Note 2)
Chula's Expert Tips
- If the partially baked pastry shell has cracks in it, go ahead and prepare the custard. Brush the inside of the pastry shell with the custard.
- Tarte Normande aux Pommes is best served warm.
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