Apple Rose Tart with Maple Custard and Walnut Crust (Gluten Free)
Your guests will be wowed by this gorgeous apple rose tart, with a toasty walnut crust and a silky sweet maple custard filling. And it’s gluten-free!
Do you guys know Hip Foodie Mom? She’s one of my favoritest bloggers ever!
This week she is moving herself and her whole family alllllll the way from Seattle, Washington to Madison, Wisconsin.
I KNOW!
Kind of a big deal. Far. And a whole different sort of scene. Not to mention climate.
She’s kinda got her hands full right now, so I’ve been invited to fill in for the day! Woot!
I’m totally psyched to be guest posting for Alice. I made her this tart as a pseudo-housewarming gift. It came out really pretty!
And tasty!
And it’s gluten-free!
So hop on over to Hip Foodie Mom and check it out! She’s got the recipe and lots more pretty pictures. Say hi! Tell her Allie sent you 😉
Update: Alice was kind enough to allow me to share the recipe with you here! No extra clicking required! Thanks a bunch, Alice!
*Update: It has been brought to my attention that the idea for an apple rose tart originates with the legendary French pastry chef Alain Passard.
As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Apple Rose Tart with Maple Custard and Walnut Crust (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
For the Walnut Crust
- 2 1/2 cups (292.5 g) walnut pieces
- 4 tablespoons (59.15 g) unsalted butter, (half a stick), melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 egg white, (large)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Maple Custard
- 1 1/2 cups (354.88 ml) milk
- 6 egg yolks, (large)
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (32 g) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Apple topping
- 3 fresh apples, (approximately) quartered, cored, and sliced very thin (keep in lemon water until ready to use)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, (juice of 1 fresh lemon)added to a large bowl of cold water
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) honey, optional
Instructions
Make the Walnut Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a food processor or chopper, pulse the walnuts until they 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 into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Cool completely, then fill with maple custard and top with apples.
Make the Maple Custard:
- Pour the milk into a small pot and place over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges.
- Whisk the egg yolks, maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl until combined.
- Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, while whisking, to warm the eggs.
- Transfer the mixture back to the pot and place over low heat.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes very thick.
- Turn off the heat, add the vanilla, and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heat safe bowl.
- Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Assemble the Apple Rose 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.
- Repeat until the top of the tart is completely covered with apple roses.
- Brush honey over the apples, for shine (optional).
Awesome looking recipe! I’m planning to make it for Thanksgiving, one question though what type of apples did you use?
This is so beautiful I can’t wait to try it! Can you make it a day ahead of time? How do you recommend storing it? Do you serve it cold? Thanks!
I am going to make this for my book club. What type of apple do you recommend?
I believe I used Fuji apples for these photos. Good luck!
Turned out great! Thanks for the recipe! I made this for Easter tomorrow…hoping to impress my mother in law. I think she will be stunned! ??
I bet she will be! Hope you had a happy Easter!
Could I make this in advance, like how long till the apple roses start to change color?
The apples will begin to oxidize as soon as they are cut. It could take as little as 30 minutes or as much as an hour or two before they are fully brown. You can find lots more info on this question in the comments- it has been asked and answered a few times before.
This recipe looks delicious. Question, how long will it last in a fridge? Not sure if the apples will begin to oxidize even if in lemon water before. Won’t be serving until 3 days after making.
Thanks Bree! I think your apples will most likely be looking pretty sad after 3 days. Fresh fruit garnishes don’t usually hold up well for that long. Are you able to save that part of the recipe for the day of? I would suggest doing that, and just prepping the crust and filling separately so that the crust doesn’t get soggy. Hope that’s helpful!
I know you said that you shouldn’t make it too far ahead but what about the night before? Also what kind of tool do you use to make such beautiful apple slices?
Hey there! The risk you run if you make this too far ahead is that the apples could start to turn brown. So you’d just want to use your best judgement. Just a sharp knife to slice the apples, or you could use like a mandoline slicer or something similar. Good luck!
I’ve made this twice and it’s soooo delicious! The crust stuck like crazy both times, though, and I had to just scoop servings of it out of the pan. I greased the pan the second time, but not the first. Any suggestions?
Hm that’s strange! I haven’t had it stick but I think greasing it is a good idea if you’ve had that problem in the past. It could be the kind of pan you’re using, or it could be that the egg white is falling to the bottom and hardening there. Greasing is probably the easiest fix! Sorry you had trouble!
This apple rose tart is so GORGEOUS! What a show stopping dessert for the holidays!
This is so beautiful!
Allie, pegar a beauty! I made it for this year mother’s day dessert. Lovely?
So happy you enjoyed, Claudia! Thanks for the good feedback!
Thanks so much for your reply! I will wait to assemble it then. Hope it turns out as nice as your pictures! Thanks again!
This looks really beautiful. How far in advance do you think would it be ok to make it? Would two days in advance be ok? Just don’t want the roses to look worse a couple days later..
Hey Annie! I’m so happy you like this. Honestly I would not recommend making it that far in advance. Like you said, the apples will start to brown and shrivel, and the crust will start to get soggy. However, if you’d like to do some prep ahead, you can make the crust and make the filling. Then all you have to do is assemble it on the day you’d like to serve. Hope that’s helpful!
Hi Allie, to reduce the number of calories can I substitute the milk with soy milk and sugar with stevia?
Hi Polina! To be honest I have never tried that, but it seems like it would probably work. If you give it a try, please loop back and let us know how you liked the results. Thanks!