The Tarte aux Agrumes, or Citrus Tart, is a bright and refreshing dessert that highlights the natural sweetness and tang of oranges and lemons. While its components—pâté brisée sucrée, citrus pastry cream, macerated fruit, and a citrus glaze—may sound daunting, each step is manageable when taken one at a time.
I've always had trouble with pie crusts (or pâté brisée sucrée if you want to be all French about it). But this crust came together easily for me. I didn't use the traditional method of putting the ingredients on the counter, making a well and "fraisage-ing" the dough. I used my food processor, threw all the ingredients in and whizzed until the dough formed a ball. So much simpler, and it was my best crust yet.
This tart (a pie has a crust on top and bottom, but a tart just has the bottom crust) is composed of orange pastry cream and macerated slices of orange and lemon.
Tasting Notes
Links
Dorie's The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart
Dorie's Tartest Lemon Tart
David Lebovitz: Tarte au citron: Lemon Tart Recipe
Next Time
Tartelettes aux Fraises (Strawberry Tartlets) page 504
This tart (a pie has a crust on top and bottom, but a tart just has the bottom crust) is composed of orange pastry cream and macerated slices of orange and lemon.
Why Do Fruits Retain Shape in Sugared Water? Osmotic pressure! When cooking fruit in plain water, the sugars inside the fruit cells want to escape, causing the fruit to break down. Adding sugar to the cooking liquid equalizes the pressure and helps the fruit retain its structure. (Michael at Herbivoracious)
Recipe: Tarte aux Agrumes (Citrus Tart)
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
Citrus
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 small oranges, unpeeled and sliced thin
2 lemons, unpeeled and sliced thin
Pâté Brisée Sucrée
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Pinch salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten, for glazing
Orange Pastry Cream
1 cup orange juice, strained
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon Cointreau (I left this out)
Orange Glaze
Juice of 3 oranges, strained
½ cup apricot jam or jelly, strained
Fresh mint for garnish
Instructions:
1. Prepare the Citrus in Syrup:
- Combine sugar, water, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Add citrus slices and simmer for 10–15 minutes until translucent. Drain and set aside.
2. Make the Pastry:
- Combine all pastry ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the dough forms a ball.
- Roll out dough, fit into a tart pan, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Pre-bake the crust at 375°F for 12–15 minutes until golden. Let cool.
3. Cook the Orange Pastry Cream:
- Whisk egg yolks, sugar, flour, and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth.
- Heat orange juice in a saucepan until warm but not boiling. Slowly whisk into the egg mixture.
- Return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Let cool.
4. Prepare the Glaze:
- Simmer orange juice and apricot jam until reduced and syrupy. Strain if necessary.
5. Assemble the Tart:
- Spread the cooled pastry cream into the tart shell.
- Arrange citrus slices on top.
- Brush with the orange glaze and garnish with fresh mint.
You can find the recipe for Tarte aux Agrumes (Citrus Tart) in the book Le
Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link).
Tasting Notes
This tart offers a balance of sweet and tangy flavors, with the macerated citrus slices adding a slight bitterness that complements the creamy pastry cream. While I’m not typically a fan of pastry cream, the orange version in this recipe is smooth and refreshing. However, the buttery and tender crust is what truly stood out—it was my best yet!
Links
Dorie's The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart
Dorie's Tartest Lemon Tart
David Lebovitz: Tarte au citron: Lemon Tart Recipe
Next Time
Tartelettes aux Fraises (Strawberry Tartlets) page 504
::Whisk::
I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le
Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.
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4 comments:
This looks insanely good! Gorgeous photos! :)
Wow they look so perfect! Hooray for food processors!
I love absolutely everything about this recipe! Looks like a lot of work, but I bet the result is well worth it! It's a keeper :-)
I wish I didn't love pastry cream, but alas, I do. Lovely, lovely tarts. You've been busy!
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