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Caramelised apple and custard tart with crème fraîche

Michel Lemoine from Great Food Live
Juicy apples in smooth creamy custard makes Michel Lemoine's Normandy tart a real winner

Caramelised apple and custard tart with crème fraîche

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 3.

2. Butter and flour a 30cm tart tin.

3. For the pastry case: in a food processor, mix the flour, butter and icing sugar together and pulse until the ingredients are blended. Add the egg yolk, mix again and add enough water until the mixture forms a firm dough. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

4. Roll out the dough on a floured surface about 2mm thick. Line the tart tin with the dough. Prick the bottom of the pastry case with a fork. Put a piece on non-stick baking parchment on the base of the dough and weigh down with baking beans. Bake blind in the oven for about 10 minutes without colouring the edges.

5. For the caramelised apple: peel, core and cut each apple into six wedges.

6. Melt the sugar and butter in a frying pan with the split vanilla pod. Cook until the sugar caramelises to light gold, then add the apples and cook until they become golden, stirring and turning the apples so they caramelise evenly. Add the calvados and cook steadily until reduced by half. Drain, reserving the cooking juices in a separate bowl.

7. For the custard: mix the eggs and sugar together. Stir in the double cream.

8. Arrange the caramelised apples in a spiral shape on the base of the pastry, starting from the outside and going towards the middle. Pour in the custard mixture until the tart case is full.

9. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until the custard is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

10. To serve: cut into portions and serve with a spoonful of crème fraiche. Drizzle the apple cooking juices over the plate.