13 January 2008

Blood Orange Tart



I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Food and Wine (January 2008), and I knew I had to try it. I love the look of rustic tarts, and this one was so simple (just fruit, crust, sugar, and butter). I adore blood oranges too, much more tart and yet so sweet, with a gorgeous ruby-ish red color.

And it turned out just lovely - I ended up pulling mine from the oven a bit early, as it was starting to blacken at the edges. Charred edges withstanding - this recipe makes a very flaky, buttery crust; one of the best I've made, to be honest. The oranges are sweet and tart and juicy from the long bake in the oven. Yum! I pulled this tart together last night and planned on making it for dessert tonight, but I couldn't hold out and instead we had tart for breakfast :)

Blood Orange Tart


Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, the stick cut into 1/2-in. pieces and chilled
3 Tbsp. ice water
8 to 10 blood oranges
1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 Tbsp. of water

In a food processor, pulse the 1 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the baking powder and salt. Add the stick of cold butter and pulse several times, just until it is the size of peas. Sprinkle the dough with the ice water and pulse just until moistened crumbs form. Turn the crumbs out onto a work surface, knead once or twice and pat the pastry into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper–lined flat cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until chilled.

Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges crosswise; remove the pits. Transfer the orange slices to a plate. Working over a sieve set over a bowl, cut in between the membranes of the remaining oranges, releasing the sections into the sieve. Remove the pits and gently shake out as much juice as possible without mashing the sections; you will need 1 cup of sections. Reserve the orange juice for another use.

Arrange the orange sections on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the oranges. Using a paring knife, thinly slice the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the oranges. Fold up the pastry over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry all around. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar on top. Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack and let the tart cool for 30 minutes. Carefully slide the parchment paper onto the rack and let the tart cool completely. Serve with the Salted Caramel Sauce.

MAKE AHEAD: The unbaked tart can be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

13 comments:

Patricia Scarpin said...

Your tart is beautiful, Nemmie - the color of the oranges is stunning!

Julie said...

Nice at having it breakfast-its fruit and pasrty-its breakfast! I had blood orange balsamic chicken, blood orange must be popular

Anonymous said...

That looks delicious. Very inviting.

Emily said...

I just bought a bunch of blood oranges from the store! I swear! Just a few minutes ago. They didn't know how much to charge me, so they were only sixty cents.

I made a tart kind of like this, not too long ago. I used clementines. Do you have any other ideas for blood oranges?

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I absolutely have to make this. I adore blood oranges, and they are in peak at the farmers' market right now. Thanks for sharing!

Sarah R said...

This is gorgeous! I'm saving this for sure1

Shelby said...

Thanks for posting this! I made the tart and had a piece tonight WITH the caramel sauce. OMG. Thought I had died and gone to heaven!! I did post and mentioned you in my post. :)

Anonymous said...

I have a blood orange tree and this recipe is at the top of my list.

Table Talk said...

Definitely saving this one to my recipe box! Thanks--

thecelticcookinshanghai said...

Just found you blog when searching for blood orange recipes. I too love them and this time of year when they are readily available. Look forward to reading more of your blogs.

dan said...

You can get similar reset in the site viagra online, so I think that Blood Orange Tart is so delicious and easy to cook,I would like to eat this food and drink this wine.

Opal Soloman said...

The Blood Orange Tart looks amazing! I'm going to include it in my food blog for Mar Vista Patch in Los Angeles and would love to use your photos to accompany the recipe, giving you full credit, of course. Do I have your permission?

Liz Laing
lizlaing@hotmail.com
marvista.patch.com

Anonymous said...

This is a delicious tart, thanks for the recipe I prepare it to my mother and she was so glad, I use to use an special ingredient that I buy called 4rx, that is incredible.