Apple Walnut Tart with Maple Custard

This is an impressive, not-too-bad-for-you, relatively cheap, gluten-free, delicious dessert that I now plan on making for special people on special occasions. You may already have all the ingredients in your kitchen and a lot of it can be made a head of time (even a day ahead). The only thing I would have done differently is to slice the apples as thin as possible, making it easier to curve them into the petals. I plan on using a vegetable peeler next time to achieve that. The maple custard alone is so good it could stand as a dessert in and of itself. I’m going to try to substitute almond milk for the regular milk next time to make it dairy-free and use vegan butter in the crust. With all that said, I can’t get enough of this tart. 

Recipe courtesy of Hip Foodie Mom

Ingredients

• 2½ cups walnut pieces
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg white
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Custard

• 1½ cups milk
• 6 egg yolks
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additionally:

• 2 apples (I used Mcintosh because that’s what I had), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced (keep in lemon water until ready to use)
• juice of a lemon

What to Do

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a food processor or chopper, pulse the walnuts until the are finely chopped, and the pieces are about the size of breadcrumbs.
3. Place the chopped nuts in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, tossing together with a fork.
4. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
5. Bake for 15 minutes.

For the Custard:

1. Pour the milk into a small pot and place over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt.
3. Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, while whisking, to warm the eggs.
4. Place the mixture back into the pot and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a bubble and becomes very thick.
5. Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a heat safe container. Lay plastic wrap over the surface. Chill for 2 hours or more.

Assemble the Tart:

1. Spread the maple custard in the walnut tart shell.
2. Warm the apple slices in the microwave until pliable.
3. Roll a slice of apple into a tight spiral and stand it up vertically in the custard. Continue to arrange apple slices in a concentric pattern, around the first one, building a rose pattern.
4. Brush the tops of apples with lemon to prevent browning.