Delight of the Week - Crafterday Orange Lavender Tart

Once a month, I have a few friends over for Crafterday. We sew in my craft cave, chat about all of our crafting plans and rave about our successes. I like to provide treats to keep our Crafterday energies up. This tart was a delightful way to celebrate Crafterday with it's citrus-y flavor and lavender scented crust.



This past weekend, I decided to make an Orange Lavender Tart. Coincidentally, Food52 was holding a contest for the best "Late Winter Tart" and so after crafting up this treat, I also decided to enter it into the contest. You can find my entry here: http://www.food52.com/recipes/10337_orange_lavender_tart






Orange Lavender Tart
Serves 8-12

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.

Lavender Sweet Tart Crust

Ingredients

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cups confectioner's sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons edible lavender
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions

1. Whisk together the egg yolk, heavy cream and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Set aside. Ask a question about this step.

2. 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. Ask a question about this step.

3. With the food processor running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together. Ask a question about this step.

4. 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. Ask a question about this step.

5. Remove from fridge and lightly dust the tart dough with flour before rolling into a rectangle. Ask a question about this step.

6. 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. Ask a question about this step.

7. 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. Ask a question about this step.

8. 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. Ask a question about this step.

Orange Curd

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup orange juice from 2 oranges (or any citrus)
zest from two oranges
1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 large egss
2 large yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks and softened
pinches salt

Directions

1. 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. Ask a question about this step.

2. Transfer the orange juice to a small bowl. Stir in the zest and lemon juice. Allow to cool. Ask a question about this step.

3. 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. Ask a question about this step.

4. 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. Ask a question about this step.

5. 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. Ask a question about this step.

6. 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.