Nutmeg Maple Cream Tart

If the New York Times and Smitten Kitchen said so, this tart just had to be good! Deb adapted the Times recipe and I slightly adapted hers. It's a lovely custard tart with strong maple overtones and a touch of nutmeg. Perfect for fall, easy to make and the only problem is keeping your fork out of it before it cools!

Nutmeg Maple Cream Tart
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie crust or tart shell (I used my tart crust recipe, see below)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pie refrigerated pie shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to set. Remove foil with weights and bake 15 to 18 minutes longer or until golden. If shell puffs during baking, press it down with back of spoon. Cool on wire rack. Lower temperature to 300 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Whisk together egg yolks and egg in a bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.


Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Tart Crust

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk

2 Tbs. very cold water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into

  1/4-inch cubes

Method:

In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like cornmeal.

Mix the yolk, water and vanilla together and add to the dough. Pulse until it comes together. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Barbara's note: Check out this recipe on my other blog for some quick and easy maple tarts; click HERE.