We have a case of pre-baked sweet tart shells (3.5 in) that was ordered accidentally - a buck a pop, no refunds! - and are trying to figure out a way to use them up.
We've already tried tarte tatins and frangipane tarts, but... They were no bueno. My sous chef and I are thinking something like an apple infused pastry cream with apple compote, since the tart shells are incredibly dry.
Other options I've already tried but were no-gos:
1) pastry cream with Sour Apple Pucker. Good but not apple-y enough.
2) custard cream made with milk infused with rum-soaked apples. Gross, and again, not apple-y enough.
Just trying to rack up some ideas on how to go about this...
1) chop up apples and let them simmer in cream (and make a pastry cream out of that)? We do this often with our flavored creamstuffs (e.g., cereal milk ice cream), but I'm not sure if it would work with fruits.
2) make apple compote and whip it into pastry cream? (would that even hold?)
3) make an apple juice agar, puree it, and then whip into pastry cream? (which would lead to the concern in option 2...)
Thoughts? Sage advice for a fledgling pastry cook?






