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Tart: Normandy Apple Tart

Source of Recipe

"French Farmhouse Cookbook" by Susan Hermann Loomis


List of Ingredients

For the Tart
6 tablespoons Vanilla Sugar (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 pounds tart cooking apples, such as Winesap, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch slices


For the Topping
1/3 cup Vanilla Sugar (Recipe Follows)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg


Vanilla Sugar
8 cups (3 1/2 pounds) sugar
2 fresh vanilla beans, or 4 used vanilla beans
8 cups (3 1/2 pounds) sugar
2 fresh vanilla beans, or 4 used vanilla beans



Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Thoroughly butter and flour a 12 1/2 x 7 1/2-inch baking pan or a 2-quart round baking dish about 4 inches deep.

2. Prepare the tart: In a large bowl, whisk together the vanilla sugar and the butter until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs and whisk until they are thoroughly incorporated. Then whisk in the flour. Continue whisking vigorously until the mixture is smooth and pale, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk. Then sift in the baking powder and whisk to incorporate it. Fold in the apples, and pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the center of the oven until it begins to puff and look golden, 30 minutes.

3. While the tart is baking, prepare the topping: Whisk together the vanilla sugar and the butter until light and fluffy. Then whisk in the egg to combine.

4. Remove the tart from the oven (leave the oven on and close the oven door to maintain the temperature), and quickly spread the topping evenly over it. Return it to the oven and cook until the topping is a deep golden color, another 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving. Or let it cool to room temperature and then serve right from the pan.


Vanilla Sugar (8 cups; 3 1/2 pounds)

In France, vanilla sugar is sold in pretty little packets at the grocery store. It isn't really like granulated sugar, but is rather a cross between granulated and confectioners'. This vanilla sugar works just as well. I always have at least 5 pounds on hand, and I use it in most of my pastries. It's a good way to use your vanilla beans after they've served to flavor milk or custard—just make sure they are dry before you add them to the sugar.

Pour the sugar into an airtight container, and push the vanilla beans down into the sugar. Cover and let ripen for at least 1 week. Replenish the sugar as you use it, pouring out the sugar that is already flavored, adding new sugar to the container, and topping it with the flavored sugar. Replace the vanilla beans once every 2 months.