Classic French Orange Tart Recipe

Gaby Buller

This delicious recipe has a very distinct orange flavor that pairs perfectly with the buttery tart crust.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 15

Resting Time 1 15

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 8

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar granulated sugar can be substituted, but will change the texture of the crust
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup heavy cream

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt.
Add the cubes of cold butter to the flour mixture. Using your hands, toss the cubes of butter in the flour mixture until they are coated.
Working quickly as to not allow the butter to melt, press the flour and butter mixture between the fingertips of your thumbs, index, and middle fingers. Continue to press the mixture with your fingertips until the it resembles a grainy mixture. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, and heavy cream together.
Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour and butter mixture, and use a fork to toss the mixture until no dry ingredients are visible. Be careful to not overwork the dough.
Divide the dough into two parts, and shape each into a disk. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for at least one hour to chill.

Using a sharp paring knife or mandoline, slice the oranges into 1/8" slices.
Place 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water into a small saucepan. Simmer over low to medium heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Place the orange slices into the simmering syrup, and ensure that the slices are completely submerged.
Simmer the orange slices for 30 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the orange slices from the syrup mixture, and place them on a baking sheet line with parchment paper to dry. Allow them to dry while preparing the orange filling, and baking the tart.

Remove the Pâte Sucrée dough from the refrigerator, and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a large enough circle to fill the tart tin, plus 1-2 inches for the sides (eg. a 9 inch tart tin would need a 12-13 inch circle).
Using your rolling pin, wrap the dough around the rolling pin and gently transfer to the tart tin. Press the dough into the tart tin and up the sides. Use your rolling pin to roll over the edges of the tart tin to remove any excess dough. If the dough tears, simply use the excess to do a little patchwork.
Place the tin and dough into the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
After the dough and tart tin have chilled for 15 minutes, remove them from the refrigerator, and use a fork to poke holes on the bottom surface of the unbaked tart dough.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

While the tart crust is baking, prepare the orange filling by first washing and drying the oranges.
Zest 3 of the oranges.
Place the zest in a medium sized bowl and add the cornstarch. Toss together until the zest is fully coated.
Juice 2 of the zested oranges, and add the orange juice to the orange zest and cornstarch mixture. Mix together with a fork.
In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and add the powdered sugar. Continue to beat the egg and sugar mixture with a whisk until it becomes light yellow in color.
Add the softened butter to the egg and sugar mixture, and mix until fully incorporated.
Add the egg mixture to the bowl with zest and orange juice. Mix until incorporated.
Pour the orange filling into the partially baked tart crust.
Place the tart in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.
The tart is ready when the top of the tart is golden brown in color.
Place the tart on a cooling rack, and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the tin. Allow it to cool completely on the cooling rack prior to serving. It can be served at room temperature or chilled.

Keyword French tart, orange