Custard Apple Tart: A French Normande Tarte Recipe

This recipe for custard apple tart is the perfect treat for fall. With the flavors of an apple pie and the lusciousness of a tart, it is the perfect blend. The apple slices make it the most beautiful desert, and while it looks detailed and difficult, this tart is incredibly simple to make. 

I love custard and I love apples. In addition to that, I love tarts (see my pear and frangipane tart, French tomato tart, and orange tart). Naturally, Fall time is the best time to make anything apple related but rather than making a traditional apple pie, I decided to make an apple tart inspired by the tarte normande. 

Normandie tart, also known as Tarte Normande, is a classic French dessert that originates from the Normandy region of France. It is a delightful pastry that combines the flavors of apples and almonds, often with a hint of Calvados (an apple brandy from Normandy) or rum. My recipe is few ingredients but does not compromise on the flavors. It tastes like Fall with every bite.

Jump to:

• What equipment do you need?
• What Ingredients do you need for this custard apple tart?
• How do you make this custard apple tart?
• Tips, Tricks, and Substitutes
• ​Why should you make this custard apple tart?
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• Custard Apple Tart: A French NormandeTarte Recipe

What equipment do you need?

Tart Pan with a removable bottom
Food Processor, if making your own pie crust- I use my gluten free pastry dough for this recipe
Large Bowl
Small Saucepan
Pastry Brush
Pie Weights
Parchment Paper

What Ingredients do you need for this custard apple tart?

Half and Half: you can also use heavy cream, if you want. However half and half works fine.
Eggs: They will help bind our custard together
Flour: I use gluten free flour and use King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure in the custard and Cup4Cup for my gluten free pastry dough recipe
Vanilla: Vanilla extract will help flavor the custard mixture
Apples: There are different apples you can use in this recipe. The ones I used for this are Honeycrisp however you can use any good baking apple, or my personal favorite Macs if you want a tarter tart recipe. 
White Sugar: I use white sugar in the custard for this recipe.
Apricot Jam: apricot jam or apricot jelly is going to be brushed on the top of our baked tart. 

How do you make this custard apple tart?

Set oven to 350°F
If making your own pastry dough: Follow the instructions for that recipe or look at my gluten free pastry dough recipe here. You can also use a store bought crust (I have not tried this with puff pastry). Once the dough is made, transfer it to your tart pan. There are two methods of doing this. Some like to press the dough into the tart pan by hand, while others like to roll it out with a rolling pin and drape it over the tart pan and then press it in. it is your choice. Poke the base of the tart with a fork all over.
Cover the tart with: parchment paper and the pie weights. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. 
Meanwhile make the custard: by cracking the eggs into the large bowl (medium bowl is fine too, just make sure it is big enough to whisk ingredients without them coming out of the side). Whisk with the sugar and flour (or corn starch). Set aside.
Warm the half & half: by placing it into the pot and put on medium heat. You want the milk to warm but not to boil. Once it is warm, start to pour it into the bowl with the eggs and sugar but whisk continuously. When you pour anything warm into eggs, it cooks the eggs. By constantly whisking, it will avoid any clumping. Once all of the half and half is whisked in, add the vanilla and continue to whisk. It will be a very loose custard. 
Slice the apples: ​set the custard aside and slice the honey crisp apples. The apple wedges should be thin slices. 
Put the tart together: ​arrange the apple slices in concentric circles and pour the pastry cream (custard) on top of the apples. Place in the oven and bake for 28 minutes. The tart is done when it is nice and gold on top and you can see that the crust is golden brown.
Remove from the oven: and dust some icing sugar on top of the custard. While allowing it to cool for a few minutes, heat the apricot glaze with some water in the microwave. Stir with a pastry brush and brush the glaze over the whole tart (but but sure to really get the sliced apples). Once the tart has cooled enough you can separate the tart ring from the bottom, place on a serving platter if you wish to keep it whole and serve. Or you can cut it while still in the tart tin and serve. It goes beautifully with miso caramel and vanilla ice cream. 

Tips, Tricks, and Substitutes

Granny Smith Apples are a favorite for baking. These will work for the slices of apple in this recipe but honestly, so many variations of apple work.

You could use brown sugar instead of white if you wanted to but for custard it is usually advised to use white sugar. 

​Why should you make this custard apple tart?

This is the best apple tart. The custard filling with its vanilla flavor is so delicious. The fresh fruit paired with the custard makes it one of my favorite apple desserts to make this time of year. 

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Laura 

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