Orange & Clementine Tart

It is late winter and the cold and grey days sometimes seem endless …. but wait, walking around Copenhagen all I see inside and outside markets and supermarkets are clementines. They are my little rays of sunshine, I love their colour, and texture but most of all their sweetness.

Here is one of my favourite ways to enjoy this winter fruit.  This tart is tangy, creamy, and sweet.

Ingredients for the Pastry

• 120g unsalted butter
• 140g plain flour, sieved
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• A pinch of salt
• 1 egg

Method for the Pastry Case

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light.  Add the egg yolks one by one, beat well.
2. Add the sieved flour and salt and gently knead it without working the flour too much.
3. Shape into a ball, wrap in film and refrigerate for one hour.
4. Roll the pasty on a lightly floured surface.  Roll it into a disk and carefully drop the pastry into a  24cm round shallow pie dish.  Make sure the pastry fits right into the corners and hangs over the edge.  Cut off the part that hangs.  Refrigerate the case for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 180C.  Line the case with greaseproof paper and baking beans, bake for 25 minutes.
6. Beat the egg with a tablespoon of milk, remove the baking beans and paper from the case and brush the interior of the case.  Return the case to the oven for 3 to 4 minutes.  Allow the case to cool.

Ingredients for the Filling

• 5 clementines
• 3 navel oranges (for the zest)
• 4 eggs plus 1 yolk
• 150g caster sugar
• 150ml double cream
• icing sugar for dusting

Method for the Filling

1. Very finely grate the zest of the three navel oranges into a bowl.
2. Squeeze the clementines well and strain the juice using a sieve into the bowl with the zest. Mix them well together.
3. Whisk the eggs, the yolk and  the sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mix is smooth.  Pour in the double cream.  Mix well before stirring in the juice and zest.
4. Lower the temperature of the oven to 150C.  Pour the filling carefully into the case and cook for around 40 minutes.
5. If the surface of the case starts to brown too fast cover the tart with foil paper.
6. The tart is ready when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow the tart to cool and then dust with icing sugar.  Serve with candied zest.

Candied Orange Strips

1. Peel the skin of two oranges.  Cut into fine strips.
2. Put the orange strips in a small saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to the boil then strain and refresh them in cold water.  Repeat this operation 3 times.
3. Dissolve 50g of sugar in 150ml of water.  Bring to the boil and then poach the blanched strips gently in it until they are well candied.

Tips

• If there are no Clementines available you can use Naval oranges.
• Serve this tart with candied orange strips and nothing else, the simpler the better.