Consider this our luxe take on the classic apple tart. The top comes layered with fine slivers of apple – we’ve suggested pink ladies or Granny Smiths – while the buttery brioche base and custard cream filling sets it apart from other winter desserts.
Ingredients
Pastry cream
Method
Main
1.
Combine milk and yeast in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and stand until foamy (3-5 minutes). Add flour, sugar, egg and a pinch of salt, and mix until a dough forms. With mixer on medium speed, add butter a piece at a time, incorporating well between additions, then knead until smooth and glossy (4-5 minutes). Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside until doubled in size (1-1¼ hours).
2.
Meanwhile, for pastry cream, whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale, then whisk in flour. Bring milk, cream, and vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer in a saucepan over high heat, whisk into yolk mixture, then return to pan and whisk continuously over medium-high heat until thick and bubbling (3-5 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, cover directly with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature (1-1¼ hours).
3.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, roll to a 29cm-diameter round, place in a 28cmdiameter tart tin (don’t use a black tin – it will absorb too much heat and the tart base will burn) and press halfway up the sides. Spread pastry cream over base, leaving a 5mm border and set aside until dough rises just above edge of tart tin (1 hour).
4.Preheat oven to 200C. Overlap apple slices in concentric circles over pastry cream, brush with melted butter, scatter with sugar, reduce oven to 180C and bake on middle shelf until tart is golden and risen evenly in the centre, covering edges with foil for last 10 minutes of cooking to prevent burning (40-45 minutes). Cool in tin (15 minutes), then scatter with extra sugar and serve.
