Raspberry Pomegranate Earl Grey Poached Apple Tart with Sweet Custard Cream

Too early for Pumpkin Spice 'n' Apple Pie? Nevahhhh! Here's an easy way to cheat your way into a Fall fix in the middle of Summer with this Raspberry Pomegranate Earl Grey Poached Apple Tart with Sweet Custard Cream. It's so refreshing and decadent, served with a scoop of Candied Walnut Ice Cream, Vanilla Bean or Pecan Praline!

Ingredients:

3 bags of raspberry Earl Grey tea
5-6 medium size Pink Lady or Golden Delicious, peeled (with stem in tact)
1 qt. of Pomegranate Juice
5 pieces of whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. Pumpkin Spice
1 piece of star anise
juice and peel of 1 lemon

Sweet Cream Custard:

1 13 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 12oz. can evaporated milk
6 yolks
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt

Puff Pastry Tart

puff pastry dough
2 egg yolks

Raspberry Miroir Glaze

1/2 cup raspberry jam
5 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. gelatin

Directions:

Add apples, cloves, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon peel, pumpkin spice and pomegranate juice into a large pot. Be sure to add enough liquid to cover all of the apples, if not enough, add more pomegranate juice or water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, occasionally rotating apples. In 20 minutes, add tea bags. Poach until tender when pierced with a knife. This usually take about 30 minutes.
Prepare the Sweet Cream Custard by mixing all of the ingredients and pouring it into a casserole dish, covered with foil. Steam on a stovetop or bake in the oven at 350 F in a steam bath until the custard is set. Keep covered with foil and set casserole dish aside to cool.
With a 3" fluted round cutter, punch out 10-12 (double the amount of apples you are poaching) round circles of puff pastry dough. Set 5-6 circles aside.
With a 2" fluted round cutter, punch out 5-6 (the amount of apples you are poaching) round circles in the center of each round of puff pastry dough, making a ring.
With egg yolks, brush along the rim of the round circles and adhere the other 5-6 rings on top. Dock the bottoms with a fork, brush tops with yolk and bake on a Silpat or parchment-lined sheet pan at 400 F until puffed and golden brown.

Finishing the Dessert:

Once all of the components are cooled and prepared, sprinkle gelatin unto 5 tbsp. water and bloom.
Add 1/2 raspberry jam and bloomed gelatin into a microwavable bowl and heat until gelatin is dissolved. Set aside to cool, until it evenly coats the back of a spoon.
Place poached apples on a rack with a foil-lined sheet pan (for easy clean-up) and pour raspberry mirror glaze unto the apples. Cool in the fridge to set glaze.
Mix baked and cooled custard in a food processor and place in a piping bag. Pipe unto baked puff pastry bases.
Carefully place glazed poached apples unto the puff pastry bases. Serve and enjoy! Like I said, before, it's AMAZING with a quenelle of ice cream!