Once Upon an Apple Tart

I gave my new tart pan a spin with a recipe I made from the Once Upon a Tart cookbook for a friend's fall-themed dinner party. Did NOT like the Once Upon a Tart crust at all (it was way too crumbly, and used about twice as much butter as any other recipe I saw), but the apples and custard were great (the custard itself takes on some apple flavor, and it was even better the second day), and I was really happy with how easy it was to use the pan.

So first you make the crust and fit it into the pan (which I won't go into since I was so unhappy with the crust, except to say that it was really hard to work with, even though I opened the window so the apartment would be cold), then refrigerate it to firm it up. Meanwhile, slice the apples about 1/8 inch thick (I used 2 giants and 2 little apples, but I don't remember what the three different types were, and ended up with way too many apple slices). Arrange them in concentric rings, with the smaller apple slices inside. I used the rounded end slices to make a small design in the center. Then pour the custard (mix 1/3 cup sugar with 2 eggs until pale yellow, add 1/2 cup light cream, 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract) over it and bake in a 375-degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. When I put the tart in, all the custard pooled at the front of the tart, so I put a little piece of foil under it to level it. Looks like we need to figure out how to adjust the feet to level the new oven.

This is another place I strayed from the recipe. After 10 minutes the back of the crust was getting brown and the front was not, so I turned on my new convection oven feature. Forty minutes later the tart was done. The apples that stick up above the tart get a little burned, but it gives the whole thing a nice burnished look. Once the tart has cooled a little, brush it with some melted apricot jam.

The tart leaked all over the oven floor during baking, so it looks like it's time to use the new oven's self-clean feature. I'm really breaking this thing in.