Orange Tart

I don't know about you, but I look forward to this time of year when the clock rolls back and the days get longer. This year has been a little frustrating though with the extended cold weather. It feels like mother nature is teasing me with the promise of summer just before she brings in a massive snow storm. Hopefully though, we're over that hump.

To celebrate the end of citrus season and because I am trying to bring in as many spring/summer vibes as possible with this late cold weather, I made an orange tart. The tart is pate sablée, which has a shortbread-type taste and texture while the filling is an orange custard that I absolutely could have eaten bowls of. To top it off, I decorated the tart with piped milk chocolate and made mini merengue stars.

The recipe is inspired by a fruit tart I saw on Anna Olson's baking show. It is a little complicated and takes a little patience and skill, but if you have a bit of time it isn't awfully difficult. The candied oranges should be made the day before, but the merengues and chocolates can be made up to a week in advance and stored until ready. Or you don't have to make the merengues and chocolate...the oranges are beautiful by themselves.

Apologies for the lack of photos...my camera glitched while I was trying to take pictures and I was on a bit of a time crunch.

Candied Oranges

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Needs to cool overnight

3 oranges

300ml water

150g sugar

Slice the oranges into circles about 1/2cm-1cm thick.

Place water and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat, and stir to melt the sugar. When the sugar melts, bring to a boil with a lid on the saucepan for 2 minutes to melt any sugar crystals that may have formed on the sides of the pan. Remove the lid, and reduce to a simmer.

Add the sliced oranges at this point, taking care to keep them in a thin layer. Simmer oranges and sugar syrup for about an hour, carefully flipping the oranges every 10 minutes or so, until the orange peel is translucent.

Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lay the oranges out on the rack in a single layer, and let them cool overnight. You can reserve the sugar syrup to use in baking, coffees, or a cheeky G&T.

Orange Tart

Prep Time: ~5 hours

Baking Time: 20 minutes

Custard:

1 orange

250ml whole milk

1tsp vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

50g sugar

25g corn starch

30g unsalted butter, room temperature

Zest and juice the orange. Place the milk, zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract into a saucepan, and place over medium heat. Heat the milk until just below the simmering point.

In a medium bowl, mix the yolks with the sugar and corn starch. When the milk is ready, slowly pour the milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking the yolks continuously and vigorously. When combined, tip the custard back into the saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly for about 5 minutes until the custard thickens.

Have a bowl ready with the butter in it. When the custard is ready, sieve it over the butter in the bowl, and stir until the butter melts. Place a bit of cling film directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin and cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. Then place the custard in the fridge and cool for 2 hours.

Pate Sablée Shell:

150g unsalted butter, room temperature

80g icing sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2tsp vanilla extract

220g plain flour/all-purpose flour

20g corn starch

pinch of salt

With a mixer, beat the butter and the sugar until creamy and smooth. Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Sieve in the flour, corn starch, and salt, and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

Dump out onto a sheet of cling film, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

When the dough is ready, lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar. Roll out the dough to about 1cm thickness. Line a 22cm tart pan with the dough, being sure to press it into the corners and the side. Remove excess dough and refrigerate tart shell for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 160ºC. After 30 minutes, poke the bottom of the tart shell several times with a fork and line pastry dough with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove baking beans and let cool.

Assembly:

When the tart shell is ready, take the custard out of the fridge and whisk to loosen. Fill the shell with the custard, and arrange the candied oranges on top. Decorate with your favourite merengue recipe or leave plain.