Apple, Cinnamon and Calvados Custard Tart (Normandy)

May 3, 2024

It is a wonderful apple, Calvados and cinnamon tart with some custard coating the baked apple pieces. A nod to Normandy. I’ve baked many apple tarts and cakes over the years, and this one unchangingly remains in my top three.

It’s is a rustic tart so don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect. Its taste and the enticing aromas filling the kitchen will make up for it.

For the pastry:

  • 200 g of flour
  • 3 tablespoons of fine sugar
  • 100 g of cold butter, diced
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of cold water for binding, if needed

For the apple and custard filling:

  • 3-4 dessert apples (Gala, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Cox, Granny Smith)
  • 50 g  of caster sugar
  • 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons of Calvados, or 2 tablespoons of Calvados + 1 tablespoon of lemon juice if the apples are sweet

For the custard:

  • 150 g of crème fraîche
  • 20-25 g of caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1-2 tablespoons of Calvados

Start with preparing the dough by rubbing in with your fingers all the ingredients and kneading the pastry until well combined. Form a bowl, cover it in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Grease a round tart tin of 24 cm in diameter and 3-4 cm in hight with butter.

Take the pastry from the fridge and roll it out. Place it in the tin and gently press the dough onto the bottom and inside of the baking dish. Trim the edges by rolling a rolling pin over the tart tin. Prick the bottom with a fork, line the dish with baking parchment and fill with dry beans or ceramic balls (this process will prevent the pastry from rising).

Place  the tart tin in a preheated oven to 180 C (fan assisted oven) and bake blind for 15 minutes.

Take it out and leave to cool. Remove the baking parchment.

Prepare the apples:

In a bowl whisk the sugar, Calvados, lemon juice if using, and the cinnamon.

Peel and core the apples. Cut each one of them into 10 segments (or into smaller chunks).

Add the apple pieces to the bowl, toss well with Calvados mixture and leave to macerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220 C (fan)

Take out by hand and lay the apple segments closely together and overlapping in a circle in the base of the tart case. Keep the juices in the bowl.

To the bowl with juices add the crème fraîche, egg, egg yolk, sugar and Calvados. Whisk until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. Leave on the side until needed.

Put the tart in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat down to 200 C and carry on baking for further 10 minutes.

Pour the Calvados custard into the tart (all around and over the apples). Bake for further 15 minutes, until the pastry has turned golden in colour and the custard has set.

Leave the tart to stand for about 30- 40 minutes before taking it out of the tart tin.

Dust with icing sugar to serve.