Sicilian Orange Tart

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I usually try to wait a respectable amount of time before pouncing on a recipe that I discover while browsing other people's blogs.  

But when I saw this tart from Giuliano Hazen (Marcella's son) over at Journey of an Italian Cook the other day, I was smitten. I knew I wouldn't be able to wait to try it myself.  The thought of that crust loaded with orange zest and the citrus scent emanating from my oven was almost too much to bear.  

I was definitely intrigued by the simple filling...just eggs, sugar, and orange juice, but I admit I was a bit skeptical as I poured the thin liquid into the crust. Then, about 20 minutes into the baking, the scent started filling the kitchen as promised and I could see it puffing up through the oven window.

There are richer, more complex orange tarts out there, but this one has a beguiling simplicity to it.

Sicilian Orange Tart   ~~~from “Every Night Italian” by Giuliano Hazan via Journey of an Italian Cook

For the crust:

Grated zest of 2 oranges

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into a dozen pieces

3 extra large egg yolks

Pinch of salt

1-3 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

2 extra large eggs

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup orange juice

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Make the crust. Place the flour, sugar, butter, yolks salt and zest in a food processor. Pulse until well mixed. Add water until dough just forms.
• Place the dough on top of the removable bottom of an 11-inch tart pan. Roll out to ¼” thickness. The edges of the dough should extend beyond the edge of the pan’s bottom. Place the dough and bottom into the tart pan frame. Press the dough up the sides and trim.
• Bake the crust. Cover dough with aluminum foil and pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake 10 minutes uncovered. 
• Make the filling. Mix the eggs and sugar in a mixer until pale yellow ribbons form (2-3 minutes). This took me several more minutes.
• When the crust is baked, reduce the mixer speed and add the orange juice. Add the filling to the crust.
• Bake the tart. Bake about 40 minutes. The filling should be golden and should remain firm when the pan is shaken. Cool completely.  Mine cooked in about 35 minutes, and still jiggled a bit even when done.

Notes: The flavor of this tart is very subtle and understated, so it's not for you if you're looking for the zing of a lemon curd type of thing.  Next time I would put some zest in the filling as well, and maybe add a teaspoon of orange extract to bring out the flavor a little more.  It certainly is a looker, though!