Cinnamon Maple Tart
For the crust:
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg yolk
- Ice water
For the filling:
- 2 cups light cream or half and half
- ¾ cup Baird Farm dark maple syrup
- 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whipped cream and berries for topping
To prepare the crust, add the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to a bowl and whisk. Add the butter and use your fingertips or a pastry cutter to blend the butter into the dry ingredients until you have flaky crumbs. Stir in the egg yolk, then add a tablespoon of water at a time, mixing after each addition, until the dough starts to form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead just enough to combine. Press the dough into a 9-inch pan and place in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Stab the frozen tart crust all over with a fork to prevent puffing up. Cover the pan with a piece of parchment or foil and add pie weights or dried beans or rice to the bottom. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Then remove the weights and parchment paper, lower the oven to 350 F, and bake for another 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
While the crust bakes, make the filling. In a medium-sized pot, heat 1 ½ cups of the cream with the maple syrup until hot but not boiling. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining cream, eggs, yolks, salt, and cornstarch. Add a ladle full of the hot maple cream to the bowl while whisking. Once blended, pour this into the pot on the stove and gently heat a few minutes until thickened. Stir in the butter and vanilla and allow to cool.
When the crust and filling have both cooled, pour the filling into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight to set. If not fully firm when you’re ready to serve, pop the tart in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Serve topped with whipped cream and berries.