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.
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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).
Have been fascinated with this beautiful tart for a couple years – finally giving it a try this Thanksgiving ( I know, late to the party- story of my life). My question is do the apples stay somewhat crunchy when it’s served? I keep thinking about the texture combination crust, coolness of the custard and then somewhat crunchy apples? Thank you in advance for any additional information.
Hey Shannan! The apples aren’t really crunchy at all because they’re cooked. If you check out the video, you’ll get an idea of how soft they are. Hope that’s helpful! Good luck & enjoy!
I love getting your recipes in my email bit it’s so frustrating to click on them and then have to click again for the recipe. How about eliminating the 2nd click? 🙂
Hey Cathy! There shouldn’t be any need to click more that one time. If you click the “read more” button it takes you straight to the post. Recipe card is usually towards the bottom there.
Do you think its possible to replace to walnuts with almonds? Xx
Sure, that should be no problem. Good luck!
How do you slice the apple so it doesn’t break off?
I’m not sure if I’m completely understanding your question Linda, but I just sliced them thinly with a sharp knife and then cooked them until they were soft and pliable. I hope that’s somewhat helpful!
How far in advance can this be made?
Probably no more than a day or so, Anna. The apples will start to oxidize and turn brown as they are exposed to the air. But you could make the crust and filling ahead, and just assemble it all on the day of. Hope that helps!
I just made this today and it turned out pretty well! my people are dairy free so i subbed coconut milk (from the can). the custard turned out but it was definitely heavy on coconut flavour! so heads up to anyone who does the same.
i was also impatient and have never made custard before, but it took a LONG time to thicken – like over 15 mins. not sure if that is normal, so i cranked the heat (before reading that you’re not supped to!) and then stuck it in the fridge to thicken more. holds up the apple slices and my dog enjoyed sharing all the extra apple slices.
Thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure Shannon! So glad you were happy with it! Thanks for the good feedback 🙂
Hi there! So pretty! About how long on the stove for the custard to thicken?
As soon as it starts to come to a bubble you should notice it gets much thicker, Emma! That can vary based on how hot your stove is, but on mine it usually takes 5-10 minutes on medium-low. Good luck and enjoy!
How do you recommend I soften the apples if I don’t have a microwave?
Liz you can give them a quick blanche in simmering water, and then chill them down on ice water to shock them. Hope that helps!
Excellent. I’ll give that a go. Thanks a bunch, Allie!
You bet! Good luck Liz!
hi, i m shabnam from Iran. i want to make this recipie today but my diameter tart is 11 inch.. how much ingredients should i use?
Hi Shabnam! I’m so sorry but this recipe is meant for a 9-inch diameter tart pan. It has not been tested for any other size. I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you, but if you’re able to make it work I would love for you to stop back and leave a comment telling us what you did. Thanks so much and good luck!
Hello. Just a question please. Do we weigh then nuts before of after grounding? It looks like before but just to make sure because 2 1/2 cups of not grounded nuts will not produce the same quantity when grounded. Sorry if this is a stupid question 🙂
Hey there Hala! It’s not a stupid question at all, that can actually be very confusing to a lot of people. For this recipe, I measured my walnut pieces first (2 1/2 cups) and then processed them. After processing, it would probably measure less because the pieces would be smaller, with less air space in between. I hope that’s helpful! Good luck and thanks for reading 🙂
I made this today for a cookout at a friend’s house. It was a hit everyone loved it .
I’m so glad to hear that Brenda! Thanks so much for the awesome feedback 🙂
Hi Allie,
Your tart is absolutely gorgeous, hope I’ll be able to make it properly for my daughter’s birthday in November.
Just a question, could you tell me for how many person is the tart and the ingredients, please?
Thank you very much
Veronique thank you so much! I’m so glad you’re going to give it a try! I’m not 100% sure I understand the questions but I will do my best- the recipe makes a 9-inch diameter tart, and you can find all the ingredients in the recipe card. If I’m misunderstanding please don’t hesitate to correct me. Thanks again and happy birthday to your daughter!
Thanks a lot for your reply, Allie and sorry if you didn’t get my question.
I hope you’ll understand it this way: would you say your gorgeous Apple Tart would do for 6 or 8 people?
Thanks again.
Have a lovely day
Oh absolutely! You may even have a bit left over. Sorry I didn’t quite understand the first time; I hope that helps! Good luck and enjoy 🙂
Has anyone tried to make a custard with a non dairy “milk” such as almond or coconut? My granddaughter is allergic to milk and I would love to make this for her. Maybe the coconut milk in the can which has more fat in it? I guess I won’t know until I try. Any thought?
I don’t know if this has been addressed here, but has anyone tried to make a custard with a non dairy product such as almond milk or coconut milk? My granddaughter’s name is Rose and I would love to make this for her but she is allergic to milk and dairy products. I can sub for the butter in the crust, but wonder how the custard would turn out with a non dairy milk? I guess I won’t know until I try. Maybe coconut milk in the can, which has more fat in it?
Susan I have a recipe right here on the blog for coconut milk custard. It works beautifully. Here’s the direct link: https://bakingamoment.com/how-to-make-pastry-cream-video/. Good luck and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions 🙂
Just tried to make this for Valentine’s day. . . Love the crust, love the custard, but I’m curious what kind of apples you used. I tried McIntosh and there was no way after soaking in the lemon water they were going to do anything but fall apart. I ended up just chopping them up and sprinkling some brown sugar over the top. it was delicious, just not as pretty. I also made the custard in the microwave and it worked great!
Hey Sally! I’m so sorry you had trouble with the tart! It sounds like you may have missed step #2 under “Assemble the tart.” You need to microwave the apple slices until warm and pliable. I’ve made the tart more than once, with different varieties of apple depending upon the season, and it’s really everything to do with the slices being thin, warm, and pliable. I hope that helps! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you have better luck next time!
Thank you! I made this and posted on my website. This is definitely the prettiest recipe I have ever made
http://www.jencookskorean.com/rose-apple-tart/
So beautiful that I have to try making it
Cant wait to try it, how long can you keep it out for before the apples start to brown?
Hey Jen! When I make it, the apples don’t really brown for at least a day or so. I make sure to put plenty of lemon in the water, and I think the glaze helps too. Good luck and enjoy!
Hi,
Wow looks very suficticated and elegant! Is it possible to get the recipe?!??
Oh yes of course! The recipe lives on Hip Foodie Mom’s blog. I linked to it at the bottom of the post. Definitely go check it out! And thank you for the kind words 😀
It looks delicious!!!
Thank you, Teofilo! 🙂
Allie, this is ridiculously gorgeous!! I could see this being served at a wedding, baby shower, bridal shower…oh the possibilities! =)
Thank you so much, Lindsey! I’m so happy you liked it; I sure had a lot of fun fussing over it 😉
I made this following all the directions. After 48 hours, my filling had still not set. The custard had almost no flavor and was just a rich creamy kind of maple flavored custard. The crust turned out the best, but next time would add a combo of nuts or add some other type of crust to reduce the intense walnut flavor. Still don’t know why my custard didn’t ever set, anyone have any ideas?
Hi Dklock! I’m so sorry you had difficulty. Custards can be tricky and if you take a moment to read some of the other comments on this post, you will see that you are not the only one who had trouble initially. I told many of my other readers that if they cooked the custard longer it would thicken up. I’m certain that is the culprit, as it solved the problem perfectly for other commenters. Do take a glance over to check out my advice to them and learn from their experience. As for the flavor, it is not meant to be aggressively flavored, but rather a rich and creamy kind of maple flavored custard. If you are looking for a bolder flavor, you could always supplement with a drop or two of maple extract, or try using a lower-grade (less refined) maple syrup. As for the crust, I’ve tried it with all sorts of nuts and it works beautifully! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you’ll have better luck with the custard next time around.