Apple Cream Tart with Pecan Crust

Ingredients

• 1.5
  
  cups Pecans
  
• 3
  
  tablespoons Sugar
  
• 3/4
  
  cup All purpose flour
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon Salt
  
• 1
  
  Stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  
• 
  
  Ice water
  
• 4
  
  Pink lady apples, peeled and small diced
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon Cinnamon
  
• 1/8
  
  teaspoon Nutmeg
  
• 2
  
  tablespoons Butter
  
• 1/2
  
  teaspoon Fresh grated ginger
  
• 1
  
  pinch Salt
  
• 1/3
  
  cup Sugar
  
• 2
  
  tablespoons All purpose flour
  
• 2
  
  tablespoons Cornstarch
  
• 4
  
  Large egg yolks
  
• 1 1/3
  
  cups Milk
  
• 1
  
  Vanilla bean split
  
• 1
  
  tablespoon Dark aged rum
  
• 4
  
  tablespoons Sour cream
  

Directions

1. For the crust – preheat oven to 375. In a food processor grind pecans to a coarse crumb. Add flour, salt, and sugar. Mix. Add butter and mix to a coarse meal. Add ice water to moisten.
2. Take dough and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins. Then roll out and press into tart shell. The dough will be fairly sticky so you may need extra flour to handle it. Prick holes in the dough and bake until toasty brown – 15 to 20 mins. Let cool on a rack.
3. Meanwhile for the apples – cook the apple, butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pinch of salt in a wide skillet over medium low heat. Cover and cook until apples are just tender but not mushy 10-15 mins. Let cool.
4. For the pastry cream – put the egg yolk, flour, cornstarch and sugar in a bowl and blend with a mixer for 2 minutes until thick and light yellow. Meanwhile place the milk and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer carefully making sure not to let the milk scald. When the milk is hot remove the vanilla bean and carefully add some of the milk to the egg mixture stirring to combine. When about 1/2 cup of the milk is incorporated into the eggs and the eggs to the saucepan and return to medium low heat. Whisk constantly until thickened – about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add rum and sour cream. Cool.
5. To assemble tart – put the chilled pastry cream in a cool crust and top with apples. Chill.