Apple Walnut Tart that’s almost too pretty to eat… ALMOST!
Hello everyone!
I’m here in Minnesota, a quick pit stop and visit with my sister before the big move to Madison, WI on Friday. Last week was such a whirlwind with the packing and moving and leaving the house in Washington. . but I am starting to get excited about the move.
These next couple of weeks will be all about settling in and unpacking so I reached out to a few friends and asked for some guest post help.
I am SO thrilled to bring you this freaking GORGEOUS Apple Walnut Tart from my friend, Allie today. Allie blogs at 
Photo Credit: Nancy of GottaGetBaked.com. Left to right: The Urban Mrs., Gotta Get Baked, Mr. Allie, Moi, and Alice herself, of Hip Foodie Mom, of course.
We’re all besties now 😉 I feel so lucky to be able to count her as a friend. And I’m sooo honored to have been invited to guest post here at Hip Foodie Mom while Alice and her family make their big move from Seattle to Madison!
When we were at IFBC, one of the fabulous things we got to do was to hop a tour bus (in small groups) and get wined and dined by one of several fabulous restaurants in the city of Seattle. Alice and I did not get paired up in the same group together, but we met up the next day (of course!) and compared notes. Alice got to eat at Sitka & Spruce, and she could not stop raving about the fruit tart they served for dessert. She said that it was probably the best fruit tart she’s ever eaten!
Well, I don’t know if this one can reach that lofty status, but from that point on, whenever I think of Alice I’ll automatically associate fruit tarts, so….
This one has a bit of a fall spin, with tart and juicy apples (I used Macoun), a creamy maple custard, and a toasty walnut crust. And it’s gluten free!
Have you seen this “apple pie of roses” floating around on Pinterest? It put a spell over me the minute it appeared in my feed, and I couldn’t wait to give it a twirl! Bad news is, the original seems to have a pretty bad reputation for repeated failure. So I just did my own thang here. I really like how it came out!
Apples are sliced paper thin (a mandoline is useful for this), and bathed in lemony water. Then, the secret is just to microwave the apple slices for a few seconds (40 seemed to be the sweet spot on my microwave), just to make them a little softer and more pliable. Roll the first one in a tight-ish spiral and then just arrange the rest in a concentric pattern all the way around. The custard serves as a little bed for the apples and it holds them in place nicely. It’s a little fussy I guess but I just love the visual impact!
Can you imagine this stunner on your Thanksgiving table! Your guests will be wowed!
If you’re making it in advance, I’d advise brushing the apples with a little warmed apricot jelly mixed with the juice of half a lemon. This will give the tart a gorgeous sheen as well as keep the apples from getting too browned. Although I do sorta like the antiquey look the oxidized apple roses give too!
Apple Walnut Tart with Maple Custard
Ingredients
For the Walnut Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups walnut pieces don't waste your money on halves
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Custard:
- 1 1/2 cups milk I used 1%
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additionally:
- 2 apples I used Macoun, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced (keep in lemon water until ready to use)
- juice of a lemon
- 1/4 cup apricot jam warmed (optional)
Instructions
For the Walnut Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a food processor or chopper, pulse the walnuts until the are finely chopped, and the pieces are about the size of breadcrumbs.
- Place the chopped nuts in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, tossing together with a fork.
- Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
For the Custard:
- Pour the milk into a small pot and place over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt.
- Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, while whisking, to warm the eggs.
- Place the mixture back into the pot and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a bubble and becomes very thick.
- Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a heat safe container. Lay plastic wrap over the surface. Chill for 2 hours.
Assemble the Tart:
- Spread the maple custard in the walnut tart shell.
- Warm the apple slices in the microwave until pliable.
- Roll a slice of apple into a tight spiral and stand it up vertically in the custard. Continue to arrange apple slices in a concentric pattern, around the first one, building a rose pattern.
- Warm the apricot jam, and thin it with lemon juice. Brush this glaze over the apples, for shine and to prevent browning (optional).
Happy Housewarming, Alice! I think you are going to love Madison. Just bundle up, girlfriend! 😉 And thank you so much for the opportunity to talk at all your readers today! Hope you enjoyed the apple walnut tart recipe, Hip Foodie Mom peeps!
