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Close up off a slice of an orange tart recipe

Orange Tart


  • Author: Michelle Minnaar
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 10 portions 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This easy Orange Tart has a creamy, sweet and smooth filling which is encased in a  homemade shortbread pastry. Every bite is bliss! You can use blood oranges in this recipe too.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Shortcrust Pastry

  • 200g (1 1/4 cups) plain flour
  • 50g (1/2 cup) confectioners’ sugar
  • 40g (1/4 cup) almond flour
  • 6g (1 tsp) salt
  • 1 orange, zested [optional]
  • 150g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 15ml (1 tbsp) cold water

Orange filling

  • 300ml (1 1/4 cups) orange juice, about 3 large oranges
  • 4 eggs
  • 60g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
  • 25g (3 1/2 tbsp) cornstarch
  • 6g (2 tsp) gelatine powder
  • 115g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
  • 15ml (1 tbsp) Angostura orange bitters [optional]

Decoration

  • 250ml (1 cup) heavy (double) cream
  • 23g (3 tbsp) confectioners’ sugar
  • 5ml (1 tsp) Angostura orange bitters [optional]
  • 1 orange, peeled and segmented
  • 7g (10 nuts) shelled pistachios, crushed
  • mint leaves

Instructions

Shortcrust Pastry

  1. Place the flour, confectioners’ sugar, almond flour, salt, orange zest and the cold butter into a food processor. Pulse the ingredients until a fine breadcrumb consistency has been formed.
  2. Add the egg yolk and cold water, pulse again until the mixture sticks together in clumps.
  3. Tip the contents of the food processor onto your work surface and bring together into a ball with your hands. Knead the pastry a few times until nice and smooth. (If your butter wasn’t cold and was a bit too soft your pastry might be too. If so, wrap it in parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.) Set aside.
  4. Grease a 23cm/9in loose-bottomed tart tin.
  5. Lay a piece of parchment paper on the work surface. Remove the base of the tart tin and lay it on the paper. Using a pencil, draw a circle onto the paper 4cm/1½ins bigger than the base of the tin.
  6. Dust the base of the tin with flour. Place the pastry ball in the centre of the tin base and flatten out slightly. Roll out the pastry, still on the tin base, until it meets the circle marks. As you are rolling the pastry, turn the pastry by turning the paper. 
  7. Gently fold the pastry into the centre of the tin base. Carefully lift the tin base off the work surface, drop it into the tin, ease the pastry into the corners and up the sides of the tin, pressing the overhang lightly over the rim. If the pastry has cracked at all, simply press it together to seal. 
  8. Press the pastry into the curves of the tin then lightly prick the base with a fork, but not all the way through. Place the pastry-lined tin onto a baking tray, cover loosely with cling film or tea towel and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  9. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/390°F/gas mark 6.
  10. Remove the pastry from the fridge and uncover. 
  11. Line the inside of the pastry with foil so it supports the sides, then fill with baking beans. 
  12. Bake blind for 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is set, then lift out the foil and beans. 
  13. Carefully trim the excess pastry from the sides using a potato peeler, lightly run the peeler over the top of the excess pastry until it falls away, leaving you a smooth top to your edges. Remove the trimmings from the sheet. 
  14. Return the empty pastry case to the oven for another 10-12 minutes or until it is pale golden and completely dry. 
  15. Set aside and allow to cool while you make your orange filling.

Orange filling

  1. [Optional] If you are using fresh oranges, zest the oranges and set aside the zest for later. Now juice the oranges and place the juice into a small pot. 
  2. Heat the orange juice on the stove over low heat until it simmers.
  3. While the juice is heating up, whisk together the eggs, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth.
  4. Once the juice starts to simmer, slowly pour it over the egg mixture while whisking. Mix well until combined and smooth, then pour it back into the pot.
  5. Place the pot back over a low heat and keep mixing until the liquid starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and transfer into a mixing bowl. Add the gelatine powder and whisk until fully incorporated.
  6. Leave the filling to cool down slightly then add the soft butter, orange zest and Angostura orange bitters. Quickly mix it in with a whisk until fully combined.
  7. Pour the orange filling into the pastry case and lightly drop the case onto your counter, from about 2.5cm (1 inch) off of the counter, a few times until all bubbles have been released from the filling. Place in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours or, for best results, overnight.

Decoration

  1. Remove the tart from the tin.
  2. Place the cream, confectioners’ sugar and the Angostura orange bitters into a bowl and whisk together until firm.
  3. Now decorate as you see fit. Feel free to take inspiration from the photos or just go with your own ideas. Enjoy! 
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: British

Keywords: orange tart, orange tart recipe, orange pastry cream, French orange tart, orange dessert, blood orange tart, citrus tart, orange angostura recipe