Apple Custard Rose Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and pulse until incorporated. Pulse in the water, about 2 teaspoons at a time, until the dough starts to hold together. It will appear to be a bit crumbly, but should hold together easily when pressed.
• Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and pour the dough mixture into it. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Use a lightly floured straight-sided measuring cup to help press the dough into the corners of the pan.) Reserve extra dough to repair any cracks after the shell is baked.
• Freeze the formed dough in the pan until completely firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure to tuck it into the corners and over the edges. Bake the shell for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough appears dry and lightly golden. If the dough puffs up while baking, gently press it back into the pan with an offset spatula or similar tool. If necessary, repair any cracks with the remaining raw dough. Cool slightly while you prepare the apples.
• Cut the apples from their cores in 3 pieces: Stand the apples up, with the stems facing up, and, using a sharp knife, cut 1 face of the apple, then rotate the apple about 120 degrees, slice again, and finally slice the last piece from the core. You should have a triangle-shaped piece of core left and 3 pieces of apple with flat bottoms.
• Reserve a smaller piece of apple, and carefully slice all the other apples into very thin half-moons, about 1/8-inch thick. (A mandoline makes this move quickly, but, if you are using a knife and working slowly, it's a good idea to squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the sliced apples to prevent browning.) Make sure to keep the slices together as you cut to make the assembly easier.
• Once the apples are sliced, build the tart: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar on the bottom of the blind-baked tart shell. Starting at the outer edge, arrange the apples in tight concentric circles, overlapping each slice about halfway over its neighbor. Take care to stand the apples up vertically, with the cut edges down and the peel edge pointing up. Pack the rows very tightly, stopping periodically to check your work.
• As you move toward the center, the apples will become trickier to bend into place. If you find the slices are breaking, slice the reserved piece of apple even thinner to make it easier to bend. Roll the last few slices into a circle and tuck it in the center.
• Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt over the apple slices. Take care to sprinkle the sugar between the apple slices, rather than on top. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes or until the apples begin to brown just slightly on the edges and the crust is a deep golden brown. Check the tart periodically to make sure the shell is not over-browning at the edges. If it is, cover the edges with foil.
• Cool the tart on a rack for about 10 minutes, then prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, warm the jam and a few drops of water over medium-low heat until it is runny. Use a pastry brush to very gently brush the warm tart with jam. Avoid brushing jam on the crust, but a thin layer all over the apple slices. Serve warm or room temperature.

Steps:

• Put the plain flour and butter in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until they resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the icing sugar and a pinch of salt, followed by the egg yolk. If the pastry feels too dry to form a dough, add 1-2 tbsp water.
• Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking parchment until it forms an approximately 28cm circle. Put in the fridge for 20 mins to firm up, then rest over a buttered 23cm tart tin. Push down into the corners and trim the top so there's a 1-2cm overhang of pastry. Don't worry if it breaks slightly, just patch up any tears with the offcuts. Prick the base several times with a fork, then chill in the fridge for 45 mins. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Lay a sheet of baking parchment over the chilled tart case and fill to the top with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 mins. Remove the baking beans and parchment and bake for another 10-15 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin, then trim off the excess pastry around the top with a small knife.
• Meanwhile, bring the milk and vanilla to the boil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Beat together the egg yolks, caster sugar and custard powder until well combined.
• Pour the hot milk over the egg and sugar mixture, whisking continuously, until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Return the mixture to the pan over a medium-low heat. Stir continuously for 2-3 mins until the mixture is very thick. Leave to cool slightly, giving a whisk occasionally so it doesn't go lumpy.
• Pour the custard mixture into the cooked pastry case, spreading to level it out. Put it in the fridge for 2 hrs to set completely.
• Pour half the lemon juice into a medium bowl of water, then finely slice the apples into the bowl, using a mandolin if you like. Sprinkle with the caster sugar and microwave for 3-4 mins on high, then transfer into a bowl of cold water with the remaining lemon juice.
• Wrap 3-4 slices of apple around each other to form a rose shape - rolling up the first one, then wrapping the other slices around it. Press the apple flowers into the custard, working your way around until the whole tart is covered.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the flour and confectioners' sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn to low speed and add the 2 sticks of butter a few pats at a time. Once all the butter has been added, beat until the flour, sugar and butter begin to form a dough and it holds its shape when pressed together with your fingers. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead and bring together to form a ball. Pat the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
• Spray eight 4-inch fluted tart pans with removable bottoms with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten into a disc. Press the dough into each tart shell, using your fingers to press the dough up the sides of the tart shell. Trim any excess dough that overhangs from the top. Dock the dough with a fork. Place the tart shells into the fridge to chill for 5 minutes.
• Line the inside of the tart shells with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Transfer the shells into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and baking beans, then put back into the oven for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool before filling.
• To make the pastry cream, add the egg yolks, 4.4 ounces (125 grams) of the granulated sugar and the cornstarch to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the yolks are pale yellow and peaks begin to form, a few minutes. Scrape down the edges of the bowl with a spatula and beat again to ensure the ingredients are fully incorporated together.
• Add the coconut milk, salt and vanilla beans with the pod into a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat and gradually, very little at a time, add the heated coconut milk into the whipped egg yolk mixture with the stand mixer on low speed. It's important to add it very gradually to temper the eggs so they will not scramble. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan that the coconut milk was heated in and turn the heat to medium-low. Whisking constantly, cook until the pastry cream has thickened and reaches the consistency of pudding, about 5 minutes. Transfer the thickened pastry cream back into the stand mixer bowl and whisk on medium speed. Add the remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) butter one pat at a time. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes to cool it down. Spread the pastry cream onto a quarter sheet tray and cover with plastic wrap, pressing down onto the pastry cream itself to avoid a skin from forming on the top. Place into the fridge to chill for 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag and set aside.
• To make the glaze, set up an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside. Add the gelatin sheets to a bowl with some water to bloom for 5 to 10 minutes. Add 3.8 ounces (110 grams) of water and the remaining 3.8 ounces (110 grams) of granulated sugar to a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir to melt the sugar. Add the lemon juice, then the bloomed gelatin and stir over medium heat until melted. Transfer into a bowl and set over the ice bath.
• Arrange the mango slices in a line and fan out. Roll to create a rose. Fill each tart shell with pastry cream and top with a mango rose. Brush the glaze over the top of each mango tart. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

Steps:

• Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Add butter and egg; mix with a fork until crumbly. Work dough with your hands until fully blended. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll dough out to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Place crust in the pie plate and prick with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
• Meanwhile, place sliced apples, sugar, butter, water, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves in a large pot; cook over medium heat until apples start to release their juices and are just malleable enough to curve while still holding their shape, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove apple slices to a plate, reserving cooking juices in the pot.
• Add diced apples to the cooking juices and bring to a boil. Cook until apples are mushy, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer mushy apples to a medium saucepan. Place walnuts in the bowl of a food processor; process until finely ground. Add nuts to the apples; stir until a paste forms. Add cream; bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
• Whisk egg thoroughly in a small glass bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the hot cream mixture, whisking vigorously to make sure the egg doesn't curdle. Repeat twice more. Pour egg mixture into the saucepan; mix to incorporate. Allow custard to cool, stirring often.
• Spread cooled custard evenly over the crust. Arrange apple slices on top, working from the outer edge to the center in concentric circles, overlapping the slices to look like a rose.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 50 minutes.

Steps:

• Rub the butter and flour together in a large bowl using your fingertips. Work through the mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, egg yolk (reserve the white), vanilla extract and 2-3 tsp cold water to form a ball of dough that leaves the bowl clean. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, put the apple slices in a large bowl. squeeze over the lemon juice and cover with water. Microwave on High for 4 mins, then drain and pat dry on some kitchen paper. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
• Roll out the pastry to fit the tin and trim the edges with scissors so they stand up, about 5mm above the edge. Prick the surface of the pastry a few times with a fork. Place a layer of foil on top, add some baking beans and blind-bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and foil, brush the pastry with the reserved egg white and return to the oven for 10-15 mins until biscuity.
• Roll out 75g more of the marzipan out on a surface dusted with a little icing sugar until it's approx 20 x 15cm. Cut into three rectangles and lay eight apple slices down the long edge of each strip of marzipan (see step-by-step guide) and reserve the rest. Fold the bare edge of each strip over to cover the apples, then roll up from the short edge (see step-by-step guide). Place the apple roses in eggcups or a muffin tin so that they hold their shape. Roll the remaining marzipan into small balls.
• Mix the butter, sugar, eggs, almonds, flour and milk together in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Take the tart case out of the oven and spread with the filling. Gently press your apple-marzipan roses into the filling, evenly spaced out, then scatter over the balls of marzipan. Fill the gaps with the remaining apple slices so that the filling is covered, curving the slices a little as you go to create additional petals on the roses, or rolling them up tightly to look like rosebuds, all with the peel-side facing upwards.
• Return to the oven for 30-35 mins, then leave the tart to cool in the tin for 10 mins. Meanwhile, heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan until simmering, then pass it through a metal sieve into a bowl. Brush it over the surface of the tart while both the jam and the tart are still warm. Serve the tart a little warm, or leave to cool, then turn it out onto a serving plate and dust with icing sugar.