French Apple Custard Tart – An Easy Yolk Recipe you HAVE to try!
This French Apple Custard Tart recipe is from Alsace and is so easy to make – especially if you cheat and buy ready-made pastry. However, I do urge you to make your own sweet pastry here, as adding that extra touch of cinnamon in the pastry base had even my cinnamon-avoiding husband ask for a THIRD slice.
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The first time I made this French Apple Custard Tart, I earmarked the recipe and put it aside in a special file called “Best egg yolk recipes: must re-make for le blog”. That was last autumn.
Luckily this delicious custard tart and I were reunited with me falling on the stairs – there’s always a silver lining! A forced foot-rest due to ankle sprain and torn ligaments had me house-bound and frustrated at cancelling my pastry and chocolate walks in Paris but an office clean-out has meant that the tempting yolk recipe file has resurfaced from the back of the cupboard and has added to my egg yolk recipe collection!
French Dessert Recipe to Use Up 4 Egg Yolks
Techniques such as blind-baking the pastry beforehand is also cleverly replaced by simply laying out the apples and baking them before adding the filling. For macaron, meringue, and financier lovers, then you’ll appreciate having another egg yolk recipe up your sleeve and the good news is that this filling uses 4 egg yolks! The filling couldn’t be simpler – just whisk the whole lot together and pour on top of the apples.
French Apple Custard Tart
Recipe adapted from ‘Tarte aux Pommes à l’Alsacienne’ in France the Beautiful Cookbook by the Scotto Sisters – with extra cinnamon and reduced sugar in the filling. If you make tartlets, either butter tartlet moulds or use 6 tartlet rings.
PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW.
Serves 8
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Makes one 25cm (10 inch) tart or 6 tartlets
300g sweet pastry (with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
2-3 apples (Golden Delicious or Cox’s Pippin)
4 egg yolks
75g sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
200g double (heavy) cream
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F (gas 7). Butter a 25cm tart tin (no need to butter if using non-stick moulds) or tart ring. Roll out the pastry dough larger than the tart tin (about 4cm larger) and press into the tin. Chill in the fridge.
2. Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut each quarter into 4 slices and arrange them evenly over the pastry, starting from the outside and overlapping the slices slightly in the form of a rose. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, using a hand whisk, beat the egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon and cream. Pour over the apples and bake for a further 30-35 minutes (20-25 minutes for tartlets) or until the apples are tender.
No need for any ice cream or cream; just enjoy on its own served warm with a cup of your favourite tea for the perfect Sunday teatime treat.
French Apple Custard Tart
French Apple Custard Tart Recipe
- 300 g (10.5oz) sweet pastry with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2-3 apples Golden Delicious or Cox's Pippin
- 4 egg yolks
- 75 g (3oz) sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 200 g (7oz) double cream
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F (gas 7). Butter a 25cm/10" tart tin (no need to butter if using non-stick moulds) or tart ring. Roll out the pastry dough larger than the tart tin (about 4cm larger) and press into the tin. Chill in the fridge.
- Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut each quarter into 4 slices and arrange them evenly over the pastry, starting from the outside and overlapping the slices slightly in the form of a rose. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, using a hand whisk, beat the egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon and cream. Pour over the apples and bake for a further 30-35 minutes (20-25 minutes for tartlets) or until the apples are tender.
Jill Colonna 
Jill Colonna 
Jill Colonna 
Jill Colonna 
Jill Colonna 
Jill Colonna 
This looks so yummy. Can I substitute bird’s eye custard for the egg yolks?
Hi Jackie. I daresay you can, although I have never tried it and prefer using egg yolks. If you do use a packet mix, then please let me know how you got on.
I made this for Christmas Eve, a very special and collaborative meal with my ‘household’ family this year. It was easy enough to make while helping my teenagers cook their dishes. What a delicious and not too sweet way to end the meal. I added a sprinkle of nutmeg to give it a festive touch. My 92 year-old Mother-in-law, who spent time in France as a teenager, thought it was simply divine. Thank you.
What a most lovely thing to say. Thank you, Jenn. I am thrilled you enjoyed this as a special family dessert over Christmas and thank you for the biggest compliment from your Mother-in-Law too! Wishing you all a deliciously healthy 2021 x
I used a Linzer Crust with this custard recipe for Thanksgiving Dessert. Bellissimo!
How lovely to hear, ‘Tall Tim’ – so happy you enjoyed your Thanksgiving dessert. You’ve made my day!
We made this tart in a ten inch pan. It came out great with sweet apples and plenty of cinnamon. Left the dough in the frig overnight and it rolled beautifully in the morning. I wondered what you sprinkled on top? What is your decoration?
Hi Susan,
so happy you like the recipe. The decor is so simple – it’s just grape halves and a dusting of icing/confectioner’s sugar! Enjoy it x
So mine came out with a scrambled eggs texture. I would recommend cooking the mixture in a bath for the second part, and taking the temp down to 300.
By a “bath” I mean fill a larger, flat dish like a lasagna pan full of boiling water, then place the filled pie in that before baking the custard. This keeps the custard from getting hot spots that’ll cook the egg too much.
That’s bad luck, Keith. Sorry to hear that. I wouldn’t bother giving the tart a bath: all ovens are different and think you just need to adjust to a lower temperature that suits yours. Oven temperatures in recipes are always just a guide. It’s an easy recipe that doesn’t need complex techniques.
I adore apple desserts, and this will be added to my baking list ASAP! It looks fabulous.
Thanks – so glad you’ll make this Liz.
This is fabulous! I will definitely be baking this for our annual formal Christmas Dinner party. I usually bake about 8 different desserts. One of them is a Normandy tart, but I think this will be a welcomed change. And since I am a fan, I can’t wait to get your new book. Thanks for this wonderful addition!
You bake 8 desserts? They must LOVE you Tonessa. I’m delighted to hear that you’ll make this for the annual Christmas party dinner. I do hope you’ll share photos with us!
Thanks so much for sharing this Jill. I think even I can do this. I’m giving it a try for Thanksgiving.
By the way, my books arrived and my customers are loving them. My baker grabbed one before I could even get them on the shelves.
Thank you,
Cheryl
I’d be so thrilled if you made this for Thanksgiving Cheryl. What a lovely compliment, thank you also about the books. So pleased you like them! I just wish I could pop into your beautiful tea salon in California myself!
I’m salivating right now, but can’t do anything about it. Torture, you might call it. I would love to make this sans cinnamon (that’s the Scottish part of me-I’ve been so put off with all the cinnamon in apple pies here in the US)! Lovely tarts, Jill!!
That is too funny you wanting them without cinnamon. Ever since we were married, Antoine refused cinnamon in any food and it’s only now I’m adding it in and the girls are loving it. I understand how we can get carried away using too much after a while… Crossing fingers you get that oven SOON!
This looks sublime Jill. Like how the blind baking is done by cooking the apples first.
I love that part too Jean-Pierre. Great time management!
Jill – this sounds fantastic and I am definitely in an autumnal, apple mood! Thanks for the yolk recipe – it never occurred to me that this was a genre, as I usually end up with egg whites! (Time to learn to make macaroons, me thinks!)
I’ve made this into a genre David, since when you’re as mad about macarons as we are, then we need an excuse to have too many whites! It never ends. Thanks – hope you make this soon.
Out of eggs
Do you deliver?
This looks delicious and since I always have a ton of fresh eggs from my chickens, I’m going to give it a try. I also shared the link on my Facebook page Fresh Eggs Daily.
Huge fan of yours, I love your macaron cookbook, I think I need to buy your second book!
Lisa, what a lovely surprise to read your lovely comment and to see you sharing this on FB. What a turnout! And with all these beautiful fresh eggs, this will be just amazing! Thanks again x