French apple tart with custard and orange marmelade glaze

By ctozzi

You can substitute apricot jam for the orange marmelade if you prefer. You can also substitute the orange juice for lemon juice and add a pinch of cinnamon.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet (8 ˝ oz.) frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17.3 oz. Pkg.), thawed
• 1 to 2 cups pastry cream* (see recipe below)
• 2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 orange, juice and grated zest
• 2 Tbsp orange marmelade
• 1 Tbsp grand Marnier (or other orange liqueur or Calvados)
• Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
• Makes about 3 1/2 cups
• 3 cups milk
• Seeds scraped from half vanilla bean (*or 1 teaspoons vanilla extract) OR the peel from 1 lemon (my favorite choice)
• 8 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preparation

Step 1

Turn oven on at 400F (200 C).

Toss the apple slices with the sugar, orange juice and zest.

Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface. Roll it into a French tart pan, sprayed with non-stick spray (or buttered).

Spread the pastry cream (not too much).

Nicely layer the apple slices (drained - reserve the juice) over the pastry cream, slightly overlapping.

Bake 45-50 minutes until golden brown.

Once the tart is out of the oven let it rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together the marmelade, the grand Marnier and 1 Tbsp of the reserved juice. Brush this glaze over the tart.
Enjoy with a glass of Calvados!!!

*Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)

Makes about 3 1/2 cups
3 cups milk
Seeds scraped from half vanilla bean (*or 1 teaspoons vanilla extract) OR the peel from 1 lemon (my favorite choice)
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

In a small saucepan combine the milk and vanilla bean seeds*. Scald the milk (heat just below the boiling point).

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar with a whisk. Stir in the cornstarch. Pour about one third of the hot milk into the egg mixture to temper (which means to avoid curdling), whisking continuously. Whisk the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk, and place the saucepan back on the heat.

Cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture comes to the bare boil. Remove from heat and gently whisk in the butter.

Strain the pastry cream into a bowl and chill covered in plastic wrap completely.

* If you are using vanilla extract it is added when the cream is finished cooking.