10tablespoonvegetable shortening, cold and diced(½ cup + 2 Tbsp)
1egg, beaten
1tablespoonwhite vinegar
3tablespoonwater, cold
Topping:
2apples, thinly sliced(any variety)
2teaspoonsalt
4cupswater
Instructions
For Custard:
In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until hot but not boiling. You will see small bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan.
In a medium heatproof bowl, combine egg yolks, maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Once the milk is hot, slowly pour into egg mixture while whisking constantly. This will temper the eggs and keep them from curdling.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thick.
Remove from the heat. Add vanilla extract and stir to incorporate. Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into another heatproof bowl.
Cover with plastic, pressing it to the surface of the custard to prevent it from forming a skin. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
For Crust:
In a medium bowl, combine flour and cold, diced vegetable shortening. Using a pastry blender (see note) or fork, cut shortening in until no large pieces remain.
In a small bowl, combine egg, vinegar, and cold water. Whisk to combine.
Make wells in the flour mixture, and pour the egg mixture into the wells. Stir until a soft dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly into a ball.
Roll dough to fit the bottom of the tart pan, ensuring that you don't stretch the dough (as this will cause it to shrink when baked). Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line the tart shell with foil, then fill with pie weights (see note). Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights, and return to the oven to bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the crust appears dry and is barely golden. Allow crust to cool completely on a wire rack before removing from pan.
If desired, roll out the excess dough and cut out shapes that will go on top of the tart. Bake 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of the shapes.
For Apples:
To keep the apples from browning, soak them in saltwater for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain and rinse the apples. Allow the apples to dry a bit before using them.
Assembly:
Remove cooled crust from pan. Fill with chilled maple custard. Top with apples (and crust shapes, if desired).Enjoy!
Notes
Note on tart pan: I used an 4"x14" rectangular pan from my (ridiculously extensive) bakeware collection (like this one here). The recipe can also be made into a 9" round tart without any alterations to the recipe.Note on pie weights: Pie weights help when blind-baking a crust, helping to keep the dough from rising/getting bubbles as it bakes. This makes sure that you have the room that you need for filling. You can buy actual pie weights if you'd like (like these here), but I just use black beans. They're cheap and you can use them over and over again.