French Style Orange Custard Tart Recipes

FRENCH ORANGE TART

Steps:

• Place the very soft Butter in the bowl of your mixer with the Powdered Sugar and mix together with the leaf/paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.
• On low speed, stir in the Egg then the Almond Meal and Orange Zest (optional). Scrap the edges of the bowl with a spatula if needed.
• Add the Plain Flour and Salt and mix it in on low speed until the dough comes together.
• Bring the pastry together into a ball then thinly roll between two sheets of baking paper (1). Place over a flat tray and put in the fridge to rest for at least an hour.
• Once the pastry has chilled, line your Pastry Ring or Tart Pan and dock the pastry (2). If baking straight away, place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes then bake for 25 to 30 minutes in an oven pre-heated on 160'C / 325'F. Otherwise, keep in the fridge until ready to bake (3).
• Leave to cool down completely before adding the cream filling.
• Zest and Juice the Oranges. Set aside the Zest, and place the Juice in a Small Pot (4). Heat up the juice on the stove on low heat until it simmers.
• While the juice is heating up, whisk together the Eggs, Sugar and Cornstarch in a separate heat-proof bowl until smooth.
• Once the Juice starts to simmer, slowly pour it over the Eggs/Sugar/Cornstarch while whisking. Mix well until combined and smooth, then pour it all back into the Pot.
• Place the pot back on the stove on low heat and keep whisking until the liquid starts to thicken (5). Remove from the stove and transfer into a clean Jug or bowl.
• Optional: re-hydrate the gelatine powder with a little bit of cold water and whisk it into the cream until fully dissolved.
• Leave the cream to cool down (6) then add the soft Butter and Orange Zest. Quickly mix it in with an immersion blender (or with a whisk) until fully combined (7).
• Pour the Orange Cream over the fully baked Tart Crust and smooth it out with a small offset spatula if needed. Place in the fridge to set for at least 2 to 3 hours, or up to 24 hours before serving.
• Optional: cut out small segments of fresh orange to garnish the tart before serving.

FRENCH ORANGE TART

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a small bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Using a pastry cutter , large-tined fork, or a food processor on pulse setting, cut the chilled butter into the flour until it resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
• Sprinkle the cold water onto the mixture and toss a few times gently, just until it forms a ball that holds together.
• Separate the dough into two balls, flatten slightly into thick disk shapes, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for several hours before working with it.
• Preheat an oven to 375 F. Roll and trim the dough to make a circle large enough to fit a 10-inch fluted tart pan. Fit the circle into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
• Line the dough with pie weights or dried beans and bake it for 15 minutes.
• Remove the pie weights and bake the shell for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside the pastry shell, still in the tart pan, to cool.
• Gather the ingredients.
• In a double boiler or a medium-size saucepan set a large pan of simmering water, stir together 8 tablespoons butter and the crème fraiche. Once this mixture is thoroughly combined, set it aside.
• In a separate pan set over the double boiler, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks , and sugar.
• Stir the orange juice into the mixture and cook, constantly stirring for 3 minutes.
• Add the orange zest and butter-crème fraiche mixture to the eggs and cook, constantly stirring for 3 minutes.
• Pour the orange filling into the prepared pastry and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes until it turns golden brown and the filling is set.
• Allow the tart to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
• Serve at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator before serving.

VANILLA ORANGE TART

Steps:

• In a food processor, process the vanilla wafers to crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened.
• Press the crumbs into a 10-inch deep-dish tart pan to line the bottom and sides. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the gelatin with 2 tablespoons cold water. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepot, combine the milk with another 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally.
• A ladleful at a time, slowly pour the heated milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking to temper the yolks. When half of the milk has been added, pour the hot egg mixture back into the saucepot, whisking constantly. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbles start appearing on the surface.
• Whisk the bloomed gelatin into the custard. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any lumps or overcooked yolks.
• Pour the strained custard into the tart shell and refrigerate for 1 hour, until set.
• In a small saucepot, bring the orange juice and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a boil. Add the dried orange slices and simmer until syrupy, 10 minutes. Set aside to cool; the orange slices will continue to soften.
• Remove the tart from the refrigerator and decorate with the orange slices in a fan pattern. Drizzle the tart with some of the orange syrup.
• Place the tart back in the refrigerator for another hour, or until the candied oranges are set.

FRENCH-STYLE ORANGE CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Make the pastry: whisk together the flour and salt in a big bowl; with a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles small crumbs.
• Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition, until the dough just comes together if a small bit is pressed between your fingers; do not overmix.
• Shape the dough into a disk; wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days (if it has been chilled overnight or longer, let the dough stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling it out).
• On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll the pastry into a 14-inch round.
• Fold the pastry in half and transfer it to an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
• Unfold the pastry and gently press it into the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your fingertips.
• Trim the overhanging pastry to 1 inch.
• Fold the overhang in and then press the dough against the sides of the pan so it extends about 1/4 inch above the rim; refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Press a piece of heavy-duty foil snugly into the bottom and up the sides of the pastry shell and fill with uncooked rice or dried beans; bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove the foil and rice, and bake for 8-10 minutes longer, until golden (if the shell puffs up during baking, gently press it down with the back of a spoon); let cool on a wire rack; decrease oven temperature to 350°.
• Make the filling: whisk together the eggs, sugar, orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice, lemon juice, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined; whisk in the creme fraiche.
• Carefully pour the filing into the cooled tart shell; place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center is still slightly jiggly; cool completely on a wire rack.
• To serve, remove the side of the pan and cut into wedges; you may dust the tart with powdered sugar and serve with fragrant ripe strawberries.