Everyone faces challenges. We all have them. Some say challenges and challenging yourself makes you stronger. Some challenges are the kind one never wants to face. Working through something hard, something life changing. Something happens and you have to overcome. Some challenges come at a young age and when accomplished or overcome, there is great victory and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, accompanied with huge smiles, giggles and lots of clapping. Whenever my daughter Phoebe faces something hard or something she doesn’t want to do or something she’s struggling with, my younger one, Madeline, will sometimes sing this song she learned from Yo Gabba Gabba “Keep trying. Keep trying. Don’t give up. Never give up. Keep trying. Keep trying. You’ll get it right. You’ll get it right.” She literally started singing this song one day to her sister and she sometimes sings it very softly to herself when she’s trying to do something with her tiny hands, like dressing her Barbie doll, which can be extremely frustrating for a 2 year old. When I heard her singing this song to herself the first time, I couldn’t believe it. It was so adorable.
Other challenges come in the form of a sweet tart with oranges and almond cream. I adore Dorie Greenspan. Who doesn’t? So far, I’ve made her gougères (which Dorie actually saw on Twitter and she sent me a tweet and said they looked gorgeous!), her dieter’s tartine (which everyone must try!) and her chicken in a pot. I’ve had this recipe on my culinary bucket list since January and wanted to tackle this one today for many reasons. A few being: 1) I am going to try to meet Dorie (hopefully) at the International Food Blogger’s Conference in September and want to cook as many of her recipes beforehand. She’s the keynote speaker! I totally don’t know how things are going to be set up but I would certainly hope there will be a Q&A session after she speaks and time for us to snap photos and have her sign our cookbooks. 2) Even though I bake quite often, I don’t have a lot of experience with tarts or even baking my own sweet tart dough shell.
Case in point: I burned the sucker.
It made me so sad but oh well, I know what to do next time. I baked the shell for too long when I was pre-baking it and should have checked the tart sooner when it was in the oven. I’m usually like a hawk when I have something wonderful in the oven. Swooping by frequently, clicking on the oven light to check on my baked treat. But the day I was baking this lovely tart, I was playing with Madeline and lost track of time. Note to self: set the timer for when I want to check my tart; not for the entire baking time.
Have fun with this one. Decorate and arrange your oranges how you want but allow room for the almond cream to rise. Ah, I had such high hopes for this one. Here she is right before going into the oven. You can see that the edges of my tart shell are already too browned. I should have known.
If you don’t have a copy of Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan, this one is a must purchase for all home cooks. It’s packed with SO many wonderful, elegant and delicious recipes, I can’t keep up! And please don’t let my lame photos deter you from baking this delightful tart. It’s really really delicious and I loved biting into the oranges, which were still a bit juicy and lovely, despite having dried them and leaving them out overnight. The oranges, paired with the crust and the almond cream is absolutely delicious! I’m definitely going to bake this one again. And this time, I am all over that tart shell. It’s not going to burn on me again.
I hope you enjoy!
Dorie Greenspan’s Orange Almond Tart
Ingredients
For the sweet tart dough:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 9 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg yolk
For the Almond Cream:
- 4 navel or other meaty oranges
- 6 tablespoons ¾ stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons dark rum or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
For the sweet tart dough:
- Place the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut in coarsely — you'll have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas, and that's just fine. Stir the egg yolk, just to break it up, and add a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses — about 10 seconds each — until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this clumpy stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly knead it just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. (The dough can now be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
- When you are ready to make the tart shell, butter a 9- to-9½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. (Butter the pan even if it's nonstick.)
- Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. You probably won't use all the dough, but it's nice to make a thickish crust so you can really enjoy the texture. Press the crust in so the pieces cling to one another and knit together when baked, but don't use a lot of force — working lightly will preserve the crust's shortbreadish texture. Prick the crust all over and freeze for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a piece of aluminum foil and press the foil snugly against the crust. If the crust is frozen, you can bake it as is; if not, fill it with dried beans or rice (which you can reuse for crusts but won't be able to cook after this).
- Partially bake the crust for 25 minutes, then carefully remove the foil (and weights). If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Return the tart to the oven and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, or until lightly golden. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the crust to cool before you fill it.
For the Almond Cream:
- To prepare the oranges: Using a sharp knife (I use a chef's knife), cut a thin slice off the top and bottom of each orange so it can stand upright. Working from top to bottom and following the curve of the fruit, use the knife to remove the peel in wide bands, cutting down to the fruit. You want to expose the juicy fruit, so take the thinnest little bit of fruit away with each strip of peel. Carefully run the knife down the connective membranes to release the orange segments one by one. Place the segments between a triple layer of paper towels and let them dry for at least 1 hour, or for several hours, or even overnight. If you have the chance and the towels seem saturated, change them.
- To make the Almond Cream: Put the butter and sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and satiny. Add the almond flour and process until well blended. Add the all-purpose flour and cornstarch, and process, then add the egg. Process for about 15 seconds more, or until the almond cream is homogenous. Add the rum or vanilla and process just to blend. (If you prefer, you can make the cream in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a bowl with a rubber spatula. In either case, add the ingredients in the same order.) You can use the almond cream immediately or scrape it into a container and refrigerate it until firm, about 2 hours. It's better if you can allow the cream to chill, but it's not imperative. (The cream can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.)
- To bake: When you're ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the tart shell on it.
- Stir the almond cream, then turn it into the crust, smoothing the top. Arrange the orange slices in a decorative pattern over the top. Don't cover every bit of cream — it will bubble and rise as it bakes, and it's nice to leave space for it to come up around the fruit.
- Bake the tart for 50 or 60 minutes, or until the cream has risen and turned golden brown. If you slip a knife into the cream, it should come out clean. Transfer the tart to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.
- Right before serving, dust the tart with confectioners' sugar and enjoy!
Recipe published online here.
New Cooking Adventures/Challenges for Sunday Supper
Today’s Sunday Supper theme is all about trying out something new and challenging ourselves. We are exploring foods, dishes & techniques that we’ve had on our lists to attempt!
New Expeditions (Sides, Starters & Staples)
Homemade Corn Tortillas from Pescetarian Journal
Easy Oven Polenta from Shockingly Delicious
Homemade Spiced Flour Tortillas from Chocolate Moosey
Naan from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Homemade Tofu from Kimchi MOM
Indian Moong Beans from Magnolia Days
Baked Lemon Coconut Risotto from Soni’s Food
Homemade Peanut Butter from Home Cooking Memories
Homemade Ricotta Cheese from Webicurean
Portuguese Chorizo Bread from Family Foodie
Savory mushroom and herb steel cut oat Risotto Foxes Love Lemons
Grand Quests (Main Dishes)
Traditional Pork Tamales from Gourmet Drizzles
Braised Lamb Brisket with Lemon Oregano Yogurt Sauce from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Rice Burger from The Urban Mrs.
Pan-fried Scallops with Garlic Chili Linguine from Food Lust People Love
Miso-Glazed Salmon from The Foodie Patootie
Penne with Mustard and Chives from My Other City By The Bay
Arepas Rellenas (Stuffed Arepas) from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Spanish Baked Scallops from Momma’s Meals
Black Beans and Cheese Empanadas from Basic N Delicious
Pork Dim Sum from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Venison Steak Gyros from Curious Cuisiniere
Baked Tilapia with Parmesan Basil Sauce from Growing Up Gabel
Vegetarian Hortobagyi Pancakes from Happy Baking Days
Caribou & Andouille Chili from The Foodie Army Wife
Escapades (Sweet Treats & Spirited Companions)
Vegan Chocolate Mousse from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Zebra Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Multilayer Bars from What Smells So Good?
Rut-Busting Wines For New Cooking Adventures from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows from Vintage Kitchen
Strawberry Raspberry Fruit Leather from Juanita’s Cocina
Making Macarons – FAIL! from girlichef
Macaroons from Noshing With The Nolands
Fresh Strawberry Frozen Yogurt from The Messy Baker
Bircher Muesli from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Hello Kitty Rice Krispies from The Ninja Baker
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls from In The Kitchen With KP
Dorie Greenspan’s Orange Almond Tart from Hip Foodie Mom
Ombre Mini Cakes from Daily Dish Recipes
Chocolate Dipped Madeleines from Big Bear’s Wife
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter today to talk all about our foodie fears! We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 4pm PST/7pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and photos.
