blood orange tart
Author: 
Recipe type: dessert
 
Ingredients
  • Almond cream: ⅔ cup almond meal, toasted
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons almond extract
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • For the tart dough: 1½ cups cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
  • ½ cup sugar
  • grated zest of 1 orange
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons orange juice
  • For assembling the tart: nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 cup apricot jam
  • 2 medium-sized blood oranges (instructions on how to cut follow below)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Start on the Almond Cream: Scatter the almond meal on a sheet pan and toast until golden, about 6-7 minutes. Depending on how thin your layer will predict toasting time, so watch carefully so as not to burn. Cool completely.
  3. For the tart dough: Combine butter cubes with flour, sugar, orange zest, and salt in a bowl. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  4. Using a paddle attachment on an electric mixer, mix the chilled mixture until it's very crumbly. Add orange juice and continue to mix until dough comes together.
  5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  6. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or as long as a week.
  7. Continue with making the Almond Cream: Using a paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, and salt until light and fluffy.
  8. Add the beaten egg yolks a little bit at a time, mixing until incorporated. Then add the flour and mix well.
  9. Fold in the almond meal. The cream will look smooth with the consistency of peanut butter.
  10. Keep at room temperature until ready to use. I actually made this a day ahead, refrigerated it, then brought it to room temperature before using.
  11. Continue with making the tart dough: Set the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Fit a cookie sheet (10 x 14 inches or larger) with parchment paper.
  12. Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out over generously floured surface until ¼ inch thick. Cut a 12 by 16-inch rectangle.*
  13. Carefully transfer the dough rectangle to the prepared cookie sheet. Spread jam over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around the tart.**
  14. Spread the almond cream over the jam. Fold the edges of the dough over to create a crust (to prevent jam from oozing out). Place tart in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  15. Prepare the citrus: Cut off both ends of the fruit with a sharp knife. Place the orange on a cutting board, one cut end down.
  16. Following the curve of the fruit, shave off pith to reveal juicy flesh of the orange and leaving no pith behind.
  17. Place citrus on its side and cut it crosswise into ¼-inch rounds, carefully removing seeds as you come across them.
  18. Assemble the tart: Remove tart from refrigerator and arrange the citrus rounds over the almond cream, placing them close together but not overlapping. I also put in some semicircles to fill in the spaces.
  19. Brush the edges of the tart with a beaten egg.
  20. Sprinkle sugar over the entire tart, sprinkling more on the dough edges.
  21. Dot citrus rounds with butter (to prevent them from burning).
  22. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until almond cream and crust are a deep golden brown. Remove tart from oven and allow to cool on the sheet for at least 15 minutes.***
  23. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers are great for a decadent breakfast the next morning.
Notes
Makes one 10 x 14-inch tart * Don't throw away those leftover dough scraps! Roll thin, place on baking sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake until browned. ** My biggest problem with the tart: my border was too big. I measured just over an inch but there was also a little spread with baking. I'd recommend ¾ inch instead, or smaller if you think you can keep your jam from oozing out. My large border impeded blood orange placement to its fullest potential in this blood orange tart, you know, the whole point of this recipe. *** If short on time and planning this for breakfast instead of dessert, assemble everything the night before except the citrus rounds and butter dots on top. Chill the tart overnight (jam and almond cream spread on top like the photo above) wrapped well. Add the citrus and butter in the morning and bake. Anyone in the house not already awake will be easily lured to the kitchen.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/dessert-recipes/blood-orange-tart/