Food Lust People Love: Windfall Apple Tart

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Windfall Apple Tart

Baking a lovely windfall apple tart, with a puff pastry crust and a sweet custard filling, makes certain that none of our edible apples go to waste!

My husband and I were on our way home from picking up some auction items this fall when we came across an abandoned German building – dating back from when Jersey was occupied during World War II - that we had somehow never noticed before.

We pulled over to explore and discovered not just the historic building but a huge stock of windfall apples – that is to say, apples that have fallen from their trees because of wind or stormy weather. These were good Bramleys that are perfect for baking.

I picked through them and left with five lovely ones. Windfall apples! Free fruit! It reminded me that I had forgotten to check the Mirabelle plum trees we found last year but, sadly, we never made it over to the east side of the island in time. It’s on my calendar reminders for next year. I love free windfall fruit!

Windfall Apple Tart

If you can find it, all butter puff pastry is the best. I like the French Marie brand. I stock up when I find it and pop it in my freezer. Just thaw in the fridge before baking. My tart pan is big - 12 inches or 31cm across.

Ingredients

1 puff pastry circle to fit your tart pan (Mine weighed 230g.)

For the apple filling:

¼ cup or 60ml lemon juice

¼ teaspoon citric acid

4-5 baking apples – mine weighed about 680g or 1 lb 8 oz whole

¼ cup or 56g sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the custard filling:

2 large eggs

1/2 cup or 120ml heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

Method

Wash the apples thoroughly in cool water and set aside to drain. Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°F.

While the oven is preheating, you can start preparing the apples. Mix the lemon juice and citric acid together in a large bowl. Core and slice your apples into slices, adding them to the lemon juice bowl and tossing occasionally, as you progress. Discard any badly bruised pieces.

Fit your puff pastry into a tart pan lined with baking parchment. Prick the bottom all over with a fork.

Blind bake the puff pastry in your preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 350°F or 180°C.

Sprinkle the sugar and cornstarch on the apple slices and toss to coat.

Arrange the apple slices in a neat circle or fan pattern inside the puff pastry crust.

Whisk the egg, cream, sugar, vanilla and spices together in a bowl or jug until smooth.

Pour the liquid custard evenly over the arranged apples.

Bake at 350°F or 180°C for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden and the custard jiggles just slightly in the center.

Let the tart cool completely so the custard sets fully before slicing. It also settles down making the slices easier to cut neatly.

My husband ate his first slice with cream poured over it and subsequent slices – till it was gone! – with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 23rd edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter W. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the W recipes below: