← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 320 g sweet shortcrust pastry
• 4 firm eating apples (Braeburn, Reinette, Cox), peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 eggs
• 60 g caster sugar
• 150 g Crème fraîche
• 80 ml Milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Calvados (apple brandy) (optional)
• 2 tbsp apricot jam, for glazing (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F). Roll out the pastry and line a 24 cm tart tin. Prick the base, line with baking paper and baking beans and bake for 15 min. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5 min more until dry.
2. Arrange the apple slices in tight overlapping circles in the pastry case.
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale, then whisk in the crème fraîche, milk, vanilla and Calvados.
4. Lower the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Pour the custard over the apples and bake for 30–35 min, until the custard is just set with a slight wobble and the apple edges are golden.
5. Brush with warmed jam if you like for a shine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips

• The Calvados does not fully cook off; leave it out for children or swap in apple juice.
• Putting the tin on a preheated baking tray helps the base stay crisp.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Food Amour de Cuisine