Mini Custardy Apple Tarts

 I saw a reference recently to 'custardly apple squares' and wanted to make a small pie version. I adapted some recipes to make my version with help from my mom.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust

• 2 cups all purpose flour (250 grams) 
• 1 cup almond flour (125 grams)
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 3 sticks cold butter, cut into 1/4" cubes
• 8 ounces sourdough starter (227 grams)
  

Filling:

• .16 ounce small curd cottage cheese (use 12 ounces, if you only want 24 tarts)
  
• 1 cup white sugar (divided, 3/4 cup goes in to cottage cheese, 1/4 cup into apples)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional, I used it to make custard firmer)
• 3 eggs 
• 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 680 grams (24 ounces, or 5 to 6 apples) diced apples (or diced mixed fruit, I used half kiwi)  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, whisk together the flours, salt, and sugar with the metal blade.
2. Drop the butter around the flour, and pulse together for several seconds. 
3. Add sourdough starter, and pulse together for several seconds.
4. Move mix to a larger mixing bowl, and squash together with a spatula or your hands.
5. Divide dough in half, pat into disks. (My disks were about 460 grams each.)
   
6. Wrap disks in plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least one hour.
7. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
8. When the pie crust has chilled, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
9. Spray wells of two 12 count cupcake pans with cooking spray.
10. Divide each dough disk into 12 balls. (I tried for 38 grams each.)
11. Flatten each dough ball into a 5" round - I used my tortilla press and two pieces of plastic wrap.
12. Press each dough piece into one cupcake well, forming small pie dough shells.
13. Put cupcake pans in refrigerator while you work on filling.
14. Stir 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and apple chunks together in a small bowl.
15. Microwave the apples for 2 to 3 minutes to pre-cook them a little.
16. Let apples cool a bit. (I also mixed in the kiwi pieces.)
17. Place cottage cheese in food processor with blade, and whirr to smoothen.
18. Add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, and flour (and corn starch if using) to cottage cheese, whirr to combine.
19. Scoop cottage cheese mix into a medium bowl, completely mix in evaporated milk. (The batter will probably leak if you try to make it in the food processor.)
20. Retrieve cupcake pans from refrigerator,
21. Fill the 24 wells about 2/3 full with batter.
22. Drop a large cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) of fruit into every well. (If you run out of fruit like I did, drop in chopped pecans or chocolate chips.)
23. Top off every well until just below rim with batter.
    (If you have extra batter like I did, fill 4 - 6 cupcake liners (spray inside of liners lightly with cooking spray in a 6 well cupcake pan.)
24. Bake pans for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C), then reduce oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C), rotate pans, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the center feels firm. 
25. Optionally broiled the cupcakes for a minute or so to give them a little more color.
26. Allow pan to cool on wire rack for about 15 minutes before removing the mini pies.
27. Finish cooling on racks, then refrigerate. (Flavor may improve if served a day after baking.)
    

 

Carole's Notes:

We liked this! It was a nice way to make a sweet snack with some extra cottage cheese. 

Note: After baking, I put the mini pies in cupcake papers to transport them.

I also updated the fruit quantities so you should have about an ounce of fruit per tart. 

The batter was enough for 30 cupcake size tarts - the 3 with pie shells I sprinkled with chopped pecans, The 6 batter only versions I sprinkle with about a tablespoon of a  peanut/chocolate/caramel piece mix.
You might try it with only 12 ounces of cottage cheese and the fruit quantity above.

The pie crust recipe adapted from http://carolelikesroundfood.blogspot.com/2021/09/mini-pear-pies.html, and was increased by 50% to use 1/3 almond flour.
The custard pie recipe is adapted from  https://www.amish365.com/traditional-amish-cottage-cheese-pie/ with ideas from http://carolelikesroundfood.blogspot.com/2015/12/fruit-and-custard-tartlets-aka-mini-pies.html