in) thick and drape it over the tin. Ease the pastry into the side of the tin and pinch the overhang with your fingertips so that it stands up in a border above the tin. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.CARAMELISED blood orange tart
with Crème Fraîche
BLOOD ORANGE FILLING
9 eggs
300 g (10 oz) sugar
zest of 3 blood oranges
200 ml (7 fl oz) blood orange juice
300 ml (10 fl oz) thickened cream
SWEET PASTRY
250 g (9 oz) plain flour
100 g (3½ oz) cold butter, diced
100 g (3½ oz) icing sugar, sifted
small pinch of salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
TO SERVE
200 ml (7 fl oz) crème fraîche
100 ml (3½ fl oz) thickened cream
1 teaspoon icing sugar
150 g (5 oz) castor sugar for caramelising
2 blood oranges, segments removed
This is my version of the classic caramelised lemon tart. It is not as sharp, but the blood orange has a delectable citrus tang and is very pretty.
Make the blood orange custard a day ahead to allow plenty of time for the flavours to develop.
TO MAKE THE BLOOD ORANGE FILLING, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Zest the oranges over the bowl to capture the aromatic oils with the zest. Add the juice and cream and whisk together. Refrigerate overnight to infuse.
TO MAKE THE SWEET PASTRY, sift the flour into a mound on your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingers until the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar and salt and mix well. Add the eggs and mix in quickly. Draw the flour into the mixture to form a rough ball. Knead briefly with the heel of your hand until smooth then shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour before rolling out.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a tart tin, around 4 cm (1½ in) deep and 24 cm (9½ in) in diameter, and place it on a baking tray. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out to 2 mm ( in) thick and drape it over the tin. Ease the pastry into the side of the tin and pinch the overhang with your fingertips so that it stands up in a border above the tin. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Remove the tart from the refrigerator and line with greaseproof paper and baking beans. Bake for 10–15 minutes until golden. Turn the tin around a few times in the oven to ensure it cooks evenly. Remove the paper and beans and brush the pastry with the beaten egg yolks. Bake for another 2 minutes then remove from the oven and leave to cool a little.
TO BAKE THE TART, turn the oven down to 145°C (275°F). Strain the filling through a chinois or fine sieve into the tart shell. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the custard has just set. Remove from the oven and rest at room temperature for an hour or so to set before serving.
TO SERVE, put the two creams and the icing sugar in a mixing bowl and whip to firm peaks. Slice the tart into 12 portions. Dust the surface with sugar and caramelise with a cook’s blowtorch.
Place a slice on each plate and serve with a quenelle of cream and a few segments of blood orange.
Serves 12