fredovic: 2023

Revisiting our favorite Tarte Normande (previous post..https://fredovic.blogspot.com/2020/06/normandy-tarttarte-normande.html) with some modifications..enjoy.

Ingredients:

Pastry dough:

250 g. T55 flour
150 g; unsalted butter
1 egg
30 g. sugar( I prefer brown/muscovado sugar)
1 sachet vanilla/sugar powder or 1-2 drops of vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Apple wedges:
3 medium apples
juice of 1 lemon or lime( zest the lemon/lime first and set aside to add in the cream)

Cream mixture:

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
35 g. sugar
200 ml. fresh cream or 100 ml thick fresh cream(crème fraiche épaisse) and 50 ml liquid fresh cream(creme fleurette/fluide)

zest of lemon or lime

optional : calvados or kirch

Topping/Nappage:

2 tbsp neutral jam like apricot jam and 2 tbsp of water

1. To make the pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with a quick, light action of your finger tips until the butter is incorporated and the flour is sandy in texture. Make a well in the center. beat the egg with one tablespoon of water and place int he well with the sugar, vanilla powder/extract and pinch of salt. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients until a rough dough forms. Push the dough lightly down and forward with the palm of your hand and turn over with our fingertips until smooth. Form into a flat ball and cover with plastic wrap.(alternatively I just put it in a rounded stainless steel lunch box). Place in the refrigerator to rest for 20 minutes.

2. Peel and core the apple. Cut each apple into 8 thick wedges and cut some wedges into small pieces to decorate the center of the tart like flower, toss into lemon/lime juice and keep chilled until read to use.

3. Ligthly whisk the eggs and egg yolk with sugar, add cinnamon(optional),cream and zest, mix well and set aside.

4. Roll the dough into a 2-3 mm(1/8 inc) thick round. Line the flan tin with the pastry ,making sure there are no air pockets and the dough is lying directly against the tin to prevent shrinking. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4a. Preheat the oven to warm at 170 C. butter a deep loose bottom flan tin, 22 cm across the base, then place in the refrigerator to set the butter. Note: for other materials like perforated tart ring, grease the inside of the tart ring with butter and you will need a perforated mat or just a baking tray with parchment paper...

5. Arrange the apple wedges over the base of the pastry, making sure that it is well filled, then pour the cream mixture over without overflowing. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until set. depending on the sizes of flan tin or tart ring you will use..if in case you have excess pastry dough, cream mixture and apple wedges make some tarteletes /mini tarts.