Serves a Crowd

Orange Lavender Tart

March 12, 2011
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 8-12
Author Notes

Oranges abound throughout Winter and when you've eaten your fill yet still have a box full of oranges, this tart is a delightful way to eat even more citrus. The lavender dusted into the crust adds a light floral bouquet to the sweet crust. —rebecca_mongrain

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Lavender Sweet Tart Crust
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons edible lavender
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • Orange Curd
  • 1 1/2 cups orange juice from 2 oranges (or any citrus)
  • zest from two oranges
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 large egss
  • 2 large yolks
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 8 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks and softened
  • Pinch salt
Directions
  1. Lavender Sweet Tart Crust
  2. Whisk together the egg yolk, heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Using a food processor, place the all-purpose flour, confectioner's sugar, lavender and salt into the bowl. Process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  4. With the food processor running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together.
  5. Remove the dough from the food processor and wrap into a sheet of plastic to form a 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
  6. Remove from fridge and lightly dust the tart dough with flour before rolling into a rectangle.
  7. Transfer the dough to a rectangle tart pan by rolling it loosely around the rolling pin and unrolling over the tart pan. Press the dough into the fluted edges and the corners of the pan. Freeze the tart lined pan for 30 minutes.
  8. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Press a 12-inch square of aluminum foil into the tart shell and fill with ceramic pie weights (or beans). Bake at 375F for 30 minutes, making sure to turn 180 degrees after 15 minutes.
  9. Remove the foil and weights after 30 minutes and continue to bake for another 5 to 8 minutes until the tart is a deep golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
  1. Orange Curd
  2. Pour the orange juice into a small sauce pan and place over medium-high heat. After bringing the juice to a rapid simmer, let it reduce down to 1/2 cup.
  3. Transfer the orange juice to a small bowl. Stir in the zest and lemon juice. Allow to cool.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, yolks, and sugar. Once the orange juice mixture has cooled to room temperature, whisk it into the egg mixture in a steady stream.
  5. Pour the egg and juice mixture back into the small sauce pan. Over medium heat, stir the mixture slowly and constantly until the mixture has thickened. It should take 6-8 minutes for the mixture to reach a pudding-like consistency or reach a temperature of 180°F.
  6. Place a clean bowl with a strainer over the top. Pour the orange pudding into the bowl to remove the zest. Then stir in the butter and the pinch of salt while the curd is still warm.
  7. Pour the orange curd mixture into the pre-baked tart shell. Sprinkle some lavender into the top of the tart pan and refrigerate for at least 6 hours until the curd is firm.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Donna Carpentier
    Donna Carpentier
  • nogaga
    nogaga
  • ChristinaATX
    ChristinaATX
  • Najat
    Najat

5 Reviews

ChristinaATX October 3, 2020
Recipe should clarify fresh versus dried lavender. If using dried (couldn't find fresh at the market) cut it back to like a 1/2 tsp or it will be overwhelming flower perfume tasting. Also, 1 Tbsp of cream wasn't quite enough to bring the dough together - I ended up closer to 3.
 
Donna C. October 21, 2018
second time making this; what a delicious tart! So simple, so impressive! This time I used pink grapefruit--wow, super yum!
 
Najat June 14, 2017
That looks sooo yummy, a question can I use dry lavender instead of fresh once??
 
ChristinaATX October 3, 2020
Yes, but use WAY less. Like a half teaspoon instead of the 2 1/2 called for.
 
nogaga April 17, 2011
This looks delicious!