Maple Crème Brûlée Tart with Maple Walnut Crust
Serves 8 
For the Maple Walnut Crust:
3 cups walnuts
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon New York maple syrup
For the Maple Crème Brûlée filling:
3 eggs, plus 3 extra yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup New York maple syrup
2 cups whole milk or half-and-half
Granulated sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 325°.
Process walnuts, flour and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and maple syrup and pulse until well mixed.
Scrape the crust into a greased 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Use damp hands or a flat-bot- tomed measuring cup to press the crust evenly over the bottom and up the sides.
Place the pie on a cookie sheet (to prevent the bot- tom from burning), cover the surface with parch- ment paper, and fill the tart with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven, remove parchment and pie weights, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar and maple syrup. Heat milk in a small sauce- pan to a high simmer, and then slowly pour into the egg mixture while whisking. Cool to room tempera- ture and then pour the custard into the crust. Return the tart to the oven for 25 minutes or until set in the middle. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar, being sure to cover the entire surface. Use a kitchen blowtorch to brown the sugar (or place under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes). Let cool to room temperature, slice and serve.
This recipe originally appeared in our Spring 2012.
