Same shortcrust as the lemon tart, blood orange curd, candied blood orange wheels arranged in concentric rings. The August-only special. The Mildura growers’ gift to dessert.
Why you should bake this
Australian blood oranges are at peak in August. Mildura is the centre of the world for them; the cold winter nights and hot dry days deliver the deep-pigmented juice that gives the fruit its name. From May through September they show up at Harris Farm, at decent IGA fruit shops, at the better Saturday farmer’s markets. The supermarket version is fine if that’s what you have; the farmer’s market version is a different fruit. By late August the season is about to end and the smart move is to buy three kilos and freeze the juice in ice-cube trays for winter cocktails. Or you bake this tart.
The dish is the lemon tart’s twin. Same shortcrust, blind-baked the same way. The curd is a blood orange curd: the zest and juice of three blood oranges and one regular lemon (the lemon for acid balance; blood orange juice alone is too sweet to set into a proper curd), eggs, sugar, butter. Cooked the same way over a double boiler. Poured warm into the cooled shell. Refrigerated until set. The top, instead of a brûlée, gets a row of overlapping candied blood orange wheels in concentric circles. The candied wheels are the visual hook and the second flavour layer; you’ll feed your friends one and they’ll think it took six hours.
Candied blood oranges are simpler than they look. Slice the oranges thinly with the skin on, blanch in boiling water twice (for one minute each, draining between) to soften the skin and remove bitterness, then simmer in a 1:1 sugar syrup for 30 minutes until translucent. Lift out, drain on a rack, glaze. The wheels keep in their syrup for two weeks in the fridge; you can make them in advance and use them in three other things during the week (in a glass of prosecco, on a yoghurt bowl, dipped in dark chocolate at midnight).*
(*Yes, midnight blood orange dipped in 70% dark chocolate is the best snack of late August. You did not hear it from me.)
Use blood oranges from a fruit shop, not a supermarket. The supermarket version has often been picked early and the colour is paler; the farmer’s market version is the deep ruby that turns the curd into a dramatic pink-amber. Pick fruit that feels heavy for its size, with smooth taut skin. Mildura blood oranges are usually labelled at Harris Farm and Coles Finest; Cara Cara is the related variety with a slightly less dramatic colour but a similar flavour profile.
What to drink with it
A Tasmanian sparkling or a half-bottle of Australian sticky. The sparkling cuts the sweetness; the sticky doubles down on it. Jansz NV at $30 from Dan Murphy’s is the everyday sparkling pour; Brown Brothers Orange Muscat and Flora at $20 a half-bottle is the everyday sticky. A glass of cold Lillet Blanc on its own (50ml over ice with a wide curl of orange peel) also works as a quiet dessert pour, the herbal back-note matching the citrus.
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Notes from the kitchen
Make the candied wheels first; they need 90 minutes from start to finish and a couple of hours to drain. Slice the oranges across the equator into 4mm rounds with a sharp knife (a mandoline gives you cleaner slices but a sharp knife is fine). Blanch in boiling water twice for one minute each, draining between (this softens the skin and pulls out the bitterness). Make the sugar syrup at 1:1 (250g sugar, 250ml water, simmered until clear). Slip the orange slices in, simmer gently for 30 minutes, lift out onto a rack to cool. Reserve the syrup; it becomes a blood orange syrup for cocktails, sodas, or the next round of tarts.
Make the curd as you would for a lemon tart: zest and juice of three blood oranges plus one lemon (about 200ml total juice, strained), 150g sugar, three whole eggs plus an extra yolk, 120g cubed cold butter added at the end. Whisk constantly over a double boiler for 8 to 10 minutes until thickened. Strain through a fine sieve. Pour warm into the cooled shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Arrange the candied wheels on the set tart in overlapping concentric circles, starting from the outside and working in, finishing with a single small wheel in the centre. Brush the wheels with a thin coat of the warmed reserved syrup (this gives them the glossy lacquer that turns the tart from pretty to dramatic). Refrigerate another 30 minutes to set the glaze. Slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped between cuts.
Two things that go wrong
Curd has set too soft and won’t slice cleanly
You over-diluted the blood orange juice or under-cooked the curd. Blood orange has more water than lemon; the curd needs the extra yolk and a longer cook to set firm. If the curd is loose, scrape it back into the bowl over a double boiler, whisk over heat for another 3 minutes, return to the shell, refrigerate 4 hours.
Candied wheels are bitter and the skin is tough
You skipped the second blanch, or your sugar syrup was too thin. Two blanches in fresh boiling water are non-negotiable; they remove the white pith bitterness and soften the skin enough to chew through. The syrup should simmer gently, not aggressively; aggressive boiling turns the skin chewy.
Variations worth knowing
Cara Cara orange tart (the slightly tamer one)
Use Cara Cara navel oranges (a related pink-fleshed variety) when blood oranges are out of season. The colour is less dramatic but the flavour is similar. The same recipe works with no adjustment.
Blood orange and almond tart
Replace 50g of the flour in the shortcrust with 50g of ground almonds. The shell becomes nuttier, slightly more fragile, more frangipane-leaning. A scatter of toasted flaked almonds across the candied wheels finishes the dish.
Blood orange tart with white chocolate ganache
Skip the candied wheels. Pour a thin layer of cooled white chocolate ganache (200g white chocolate melted with 100ml cream, cooled until pourable) over the set curd. Refrigerate to set. The dessert version that pairs better with sparkling than with sticky.
Leftovers and make ahead
Refrigerate the tart for up to four days, covered loosely with foil (cling film against the candied wheels turns the lacquer tacky). The curd holds beautifully; the candied wheels soften slightly day by day but keep their colour. Day-three tart with a softened crust and slightly slumped wheels is its own pleasure, eaten straight from the fridge with a coffee at 11am on a Sunday.
Day-five blood orange syrup (the simmer-water from the candied wheels) becomes a cocktail mixer for the rest of the month. 30ml of the syrup, 60ml of gin, 15ml of fresh lemon juice, top with sparkling water for a Blood Orange Bramble that solves Saturday afternoon. Or stir a tablespoon into a yoghurt bowl with toasted almonds and call it breakfast.
The recipe
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Ingredients
Method
- Pulse flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor to coarse breadcrumbs. Add yolk and water, pulse to a ball. Wrap, refrigerate 1 hour.
- Roll to 3mm. Line a 24cm fluted tin. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
- Bake blind at 180°C fan-forced for 18 minutes lined with weights, then 8 minutes uncovered (egg-wash the base before the second bake). Cool fully.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the blood orange slices for 1 minute. Drain. Blanch again in fresh boiling water for 1 minute. Drain.
- Combine sugar and 250ml water in a wide pan. Bring to a simmer. Slip in the orange slices in a single layer. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Lift out the slices with a slotted spoon onto a rack. Reserve the syrup. Cool slices completely.
- Combine zests, strained juices, sugar, eggs and yolk in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Whisk constantly for 8 to 10 minutes until thickened.
- Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter cubes one at a time until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve.
- Pour warm curd into the cooled shell. Smooth the top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- Arrange the candied wheels in overlapping concentric circles on the set tart. Brush with warmed reserved syrup. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set the glaze.
- Slice with a hot wiped knife. Serve cold.