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February 18, 2019Orange Curd Tart with Toasted Italian Meringue
Oranges just do not get the credit that they deserve. We all know that they’re the Vitamin C champions and I’m sure many of us grew up drinking a glass of orange juice the moment that we felt the onset of a cold. Not only do they pack a lot of great vitamins and nutrients but their wonderfully clean citrus scent can freshen a room in a heartbeat and just so happens to be one of my favorite smells! This delicious citrus fruit is great paired with so many flavors and can be both sweet and savory. I mean, clearly this fruit deserve more credit that it typically receives, right?
One of our neighbors has this beautiful orange tree that has an abundance of Oranges on it and they just sit there. Untouched. As the season progresses they sadly fall to their demise and that is the extent of their existence. Sad, isn’t it? ​Each season I have watched this happen and it makes me so sad that such great fresh fruit goes to waste. This season I just wouldn’t have it! My loyal sidekick and I did the unthinkable- complete with our hoodies, flashlights, and a basket – and snuck out to her tree and plucked about 2 dozen oranges off. I know, this seems like a lot of oranges but do you see that tree? She had plenty to spare!
We were so excited to start snacking on our loot – I mean oranges – so we sliced one up the moment we walked in our kitchen. Maybe it was karma, I don’t know, but these weren’t the typical sweet oranges or any variety that I had ever had before; they were very tart and almost slightly bitter. Needless to say, they weren’t going to be a good snack or a refreshing glass of freshly squeezed orange juice unfortunately. I still refused to give up on them, though. I had recently seen a recipe for a grapefruit curd tart so it gave me the idea of using them to make a curd, which is one of my favorite things.Â
I quickly got to slicing and juicing and yes, I am old school and juiced each orange by hand through a strainer. Talk about a work-out! I ended up juicing around 12 oranges to yield
​1 1/2 cups of juice. Depending on the variety of orange that you select, this can vary for the orange to juice ratio but you’ll want about 3/4 cups orange juice to make the tart. |
Once you have the fresh juice you can begin making the curd and the tart shell. Both recipes are very traditional recipes with a couple of slight tweaks to them to make the flavor profiles work well with each-other.
Recipe:
Tart Shell:
Orange Curd:
Toasted Italian Meringue & Garnish:
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Tart Instructions:
For the Curd:
For the Meringue & Garnish:
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A great tip for this recipe is to make a little extra curd and keep stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. This curd is delicious on a toasted English muffin or fresh lavender scone!
Also, don’t be scared – try all different types of citrus fruit in lieu of orange and see what you think!
​Enjoy!