Spiced Apple Crumble Tartlets with Homemade Custard

Bring some festive cheer to your apple crumble by adding a few twists that will make this humble dessert look as appealing as individual puff pastry tartlets. Adding festive spices to the heat balances out the sweetness of the crumble. Serve these little tarts with rich, warm homemade custard. I served this dessert at one of our annual Christmas parties and my guests loved the festive touch I added to their plate. These are cute Small ball-shaped bottles Full of custard were the show of the dinner. Some daredevils even drank from the bottle! It was so fun and entertaining.

The ingredients you will need for the apple crumble tartlets and the custard

• Apples: Any red apple will do for this recipe. I tend not to use apples that are tart as that means you need more sugar to sweeten the filling. The apples only need to be cooked for 5 minutes, so they will keep their shape.
• Spices: Cinnamon is the spice of choice for my apple crumble. I tend not to add other spices as I don’t want to overpower the apples. So I’ll just stick with cinnamon for this recipe.
• sweetness: dark muscovado sugar It is my favorite sweetener for apple crumble. It is basically unrefined sugar containing molasses, hence its deep brown color and toffee-like taste that add that rich flavor to the apple crumble.
• pastry: All-butter puff pastry is used to make the tartlet cases. Use a rolled sheet of puff pastry to cut circles large enough to fit inside Muffin molds. The pastry will rise and be golden and flaky on top.
• egg: You want the pastry to look shiny and golden when baked. Before filling the pastry cases, brush with egg wash.
• Rolled oats: For the crumble I used rolled oats mixed with melted butter and muscovado sugar.
• butter: Butter not only adds richness but it also makes the crumble crispy and golden.
• custard: You can use ready-made custard, but I will share my recipe. The custard should have a pourable consistency so that it can be poured into the small punch bottles.

How to make spiced apple crumble tartlets

1. Cut the puff pastry: Whether you’re using homemade or store-bought, make sure the puff pastry is soft enough that it won’t crack when rolled out. Use an 8mm round cutter, alternatively use a Bonne Maman jam jar to cut the circles. Cut as many circles as possible, you should get at least 12 pieces to fit A tray of muffins. Using your fingers, push each circle inside the muffin tin and brush with egg wash.
2. Cook the apples: Remove the core and cut the apples into small 1 cm cubes. Transfer to a medium pan and add the muscodo sugar and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes until the sugar melts and the apples soften slightly. Allow to cool slightly before filling the pastry cases.
3. Fill the pastry cases: Spoon the cooked apples into the pastry cases and top with rolled oats coated with cinnamon, sugar and melted butter.
4. to bake: You don’t want to bake it on too high for the oats to burn, nor on too low for the pastry to look undercooked.
5. Prepare the custard: While the tarts are baking, cook the custard and check the pouring consistency. It should be thick enough but not cohesive and it should work without breaking. For me the secret to good whipped cream is good quality vanilla beans.

Spiced apple crumble tartlets with homemade custard

yield:
12 tartlets

Preparation time:
15 minutes

Cooking time:
20 minutes

total time:
35 minutes

Spiced apple pie with rolled oats and baked in the oven, served warm with vanilla custard.

Component

• 3 red apples

• 1 ready rolled puff pastry

• 1.5 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 4 tablespoons of dark muscovado sugar

• 100 grams of rolled oats

• 50 grams of butter, melted

For the custard

• 3 egg yolks

• 500 ml whole milk

• 75 grams of fine sugar

• 1 vanilla bean

• 2 tablespoons of cornflour

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 180c. Using a round cutter or an 8 cm diameter jam jar, cut 12 circles of puff pastry. Place them inside each case of the muffin tray and brush with egg wash. Set aside.

2. Core and cut the apples into 1 cm cubes and place in a pot. Add 3 tablespoons of muscovado sugar and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes until softened but not mushy.

3. Fill the pastry cases halfway. In a bowl, add the oats, melted butter, remaining muscodo sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and spoon over the apples. Bake for 20 minutes until puffed and golden.

4. In the meantime, prepare the custard, add the milk and vanilla seeds, including the pod, to the pot. Bring to a boil over low heat. In a bowl add the sugar, cornflour and eggs and beat well. Pour the hot milk and continue to whip. Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook until thickened and after pouring. Pour into individual bottles to serve with the tarts.

5. Place the tarts on dessert plates with the whipped cream bottles on the side. Serve hot with a good sprinkling of custard.

If you enjoyed this recipe, check out my Caramelized Pear Tart which is just as good in a more sophisticated version. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on eligible purchases and you should not incur additional charges when making a purchase using the links above that take you directly to the Amazon product page.