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French Apple Tart Recipe With Pastry Cream

The Spruce Eats
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

Pastry Dough

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (cold, cut into bits)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Water (cold)

Pastry Cream

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 or 4 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring)

Apple Layer

  • 5 5 apples (preferably firm and tart) I used Cortland
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice optional

Glaze

  • 1/4 cup apricot jam
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (or water)

Instructions
 

Pastry Dough

  • Gather the ingredients.
  • Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter.
  • Work in the egg yolk until the mixture looks like a fine meal.
  • Then use a fork to stir in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough can be gathered together and pressed into a ball.
  • Shape and flatten the dough into a smooth disc shape, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. 

Pastry Cream

  • Gather the ingredients.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
  • Whisk in the flour and cornstarch until smooth; set aside. 
  • In a saucepan, heat the milk with vanilla bean almost to boiling.
  • Remove the vanilla bean, then slowly and gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture.
  • Strain the mixture back into the saucepan. Bring heat to a boil, whisking or stirring constantly while the mixture thickens and reaches a boil. Continue cooking for another half minute while stirring, then remove from the heat.
  • Lay a piece of plastic film on the surface of the pastry cream and allow it to cool completely before using or chilling. 

Assemble and Bake the Tart

  • Gather the ingredients.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
  • Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.
  • Place the slices in a bowl and toss gently with the sugar and cinnamon.
  • If the apples start to brown, you can toss in a tablespoon of lemon juice.
  • Roll out the pastry and fit into a 9-inch tart pan, trimming the excess dough. 
  • Spread the pastry cream across the bottom of the pastry shell.
  • Arrange the apple slices in a pattern over the pastry cream and dot the apples with tiny bits of butter.
  • Wrap strips of aluminum foil around the edges of the tart pan to protect the crust from burning.
  • Bake the tart in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.
  • Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until the apples and crust are nicely colored.
  • Remove the tart to a rack to cool.
  • While the tart is still warm, heat the apricot jam with the lemon juice until boiling.
  • Strain the mixture.
  • Then use a pastry brush to apply the apricot glaze over the apples. 
  • Refrigerate the tart when it has cooled completely.
  • Serve chilled or at room temperature.