Serves a Crowd

Cara Cara Orange Cream Tart with Honey-TarragonĀ Glaze

March 12, 2011
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes one 9" tart
Author Notes

I created the recipe because I love Cara Cara (or red navel) oranges! They are sweet, a lovely pinkish hue, and are less acidic than most citrus. They make a great late winter tart that reminds you that spring is coming!

There is something cheerful and spring-like about this tart that brings a smile to my face and helps me brave the rest of this horrible cold dreary weather.

The cara caras can always but substituted with any other citrus fruit--navel oranges, blood oranges, or pink grapefruit would be the best substitutes. And the tarragon can be omitted completely, but I feel it is a great compliment to all citrus. —megefitzroy

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Ingredients
  • tart crust
  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Filling and Topping
  • 1 sheet of gelatin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 4 1/2 ounces sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 4 1/2 ounces egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon cara cara orange zest (about 3)
  • 1 sprig fresh tarragon
  • 6-8 cara cara oranges, segmented
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 sprigs tarragon
Directions
  1. To make crust: cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add flour and salt, mix until blended. Add egg yolk, mix until blended. Pat dough into a round, wrap with plastic and chill until set.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll chilled dough out and press into a 9" tart pan. Place in freezer to set. Once frozen, prick the tart dough with a fork (if desired, use pie weights to weigh down the center of the dough) and bake the crust until golden brown (at least 15 minutes). If desired, the crust may be brushed with egg wash to prevent it from getting soggy. This is only necessary if it will not be served right away.) Once the tart shell is baked, set it aside to cool.
  3. To make orange cream filling: place the gelatin sheet in ice cold water to soften, about five minutes.
  4. Place the milk in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove from heat, add the orange zest and one sprig of tarragon, cover the pot and let steep for 15 minutes.
  5. After 15 minutes, strain the milk, discard the zest and tarragon, place milk in a clean pot and reheat to simmering. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornstarch, whisk into a smooth paste. When the milk is simmering, slowly pour it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pot, over heat and cook until thickened.
  6. Once thickened, remove from heat. Add butter and gelatin sheet. Pass mixture through a strainer to remove any lumps or imperfections, cover the orange cream with plastic to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until chilled.
  7. In a small sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup of honey, 1/4 cup sugar and about 1 cup of water to simmering. Remove from heat and add three to four sprigs of fresh tarragon. Cover the pan and let it steep for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, strain the the liquid, discard the tarragon, and pour honey syrup over the cara cara segments. Place oranges and their poaching liquid chill in the refrigerator.
  8. To finish tart: Spoon the chilled orange cream into the chilled tart crust and spread evenly with a spatula. Strain the cara cara segments from their poaching syrup (reserve syrup) and arrange them nicely on top of the orange cream in a pinwheel form.
  9. Optional: to make a honey glaze, simmer and reduce the reserved honey poaching syrup to a syrupy consistency. With a pastry brush glaze the top of the orange segments with it. garnish with a sprig of fresh tarragon and serve!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

5 Reviews

Gherkin September 25, 2017
The picture is a small tartlet, not a 9" tart. Can you explain the method for making individual tartlets?
Gabriella D. March 23, 2015
This looks amazing! What kind of pan did you use for the tart pictured??
megefitzroy March 16, 2015
Barbara, it can be difficult to find the sheet gelatin in stores. I have found it in specialty shops occasionally and you can definitely order it online. You can substitute with powdered gelatin although the end result won't be quite as creamy and delicate. Substitute one teaspoon of powdered gelatin for one sheet of gelatin. (Soak the powdered gelatin in water and warm to melt as you would for other applications.) Good luck and enjoy!
Barbara March 15, 2015
I've lived in the bedroom communities outside major cities in 10 different states, and I have never seen sheet gelatin in over 50 years of cooking. What would be the equivalent in the packets? This sounds marvelous!
gingerroot March 12, 2011
What a gorgeous looking, delicious sounding tart!