Classic Orange Tart with Pistachio and Mint Garnish Recipe
The Classic Orange Tart is a delightful dessert featuring a tender, flaky almond crust filled with a silky, tangy orange curd. Enhanced with fresh orange zest, angostura bitters, and topped with luscious whipped cream, orange segments, pistachios, and mint, this tart provides a refreshing balance of citrus brightness and creamy richness, perfect for any occasion.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes (including chilling time)
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French-inspired
Ingredients
Scale
For the crust:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur brand preferred)
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- Zest from 1 orange (optional, finely grated)
For the orange filling:
- 4 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp angostura orange bitters (optional)
- Reserved orange zest from crust
- 2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice (about 3 large oranges)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (Kerrygold preferred)
- 3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch (sifted)
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
For the topping:
- Fresh mint leaves
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 orange (peeled, pith removed, cut into segments)
- 1 cup heavy cream (chilled)
- 1 tsp angostura orange bitters (optional)
- 10 shelled pistachios, crushed
Instructions
- Prepare the Tart Dough: Combine flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, salt, and orange zest in a food processor. Pulse in chilled butter cubes until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter. Add egg yolk and cold water, pulse until dough just comes together. Form into a disk, wrap, and chill at least 15 minutes (preferably 30-60 minutes).
- Line and Blind Bake the Tart Shell: Grease a 9-inch tart pan. Roll chilled dough between parchment sheets to 1/8-inch thickness, 4 cm larger than pan. Invert into pan, press into corners, trim edges. Prick base with fork and chill 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Line shell with foil, fill with baking beans, bake 12-15 minutes until edges set. Remove foil and beans, trim edges, bake 10-12 minutes until bottom is golden. Cool completely.
- Create the Orange Curd Filling: Heat fresh orange juice in saucepan until steaming. Whisk eggs, superfine sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Temper eggs with hot juice by adding slowly while whisking. Return mixture to saucepan, cook low heat, stirring until thickened (5-7 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in gelatin until dissolved. Cool to room temp (~10 minutes), then fold in softened butter, reserved zest, and bitters.
- Assemble and Chill the Tart: Pour cooled orange curd into baked shell, spread evenly. Drop pan on counter 2-3 times to release air bubbles. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight until set and firm.
- Prepare the Whipped Cream and Final Garnishes: Whip chilled heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and bitters, whip to stiff peaks. Prepare orange segments, crushed pistachios, and fresh mint leaves for garnish.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove tart from pan. Arrange whipped cream dollops on top, scatter orange segments and pistachios evenly, and tuck in mint leaves. Serve chilled, slicing with warm knife for clean cuts.
Notes
- Chilling the dough longer improves ease of handling and minimizes shrinkage during baking.
- Tempering the eggs with hot juice prevents curdling in the filling.
- Allow the curd to cool slightly before adding butter to ensure a smooth emulsion.
- Use freshly squeezed orange juice and zest for the best vibrant flavor.
- Blind baking prevents a soggy crust and results in a crisp shell.
- Slice the tart with a knife dipped in warm water for neat, clean slices.
- Optional bitters add depth but can be omitted if unavailable.
Keywords: orange tart, orange curd tart, classic orange dessert, almond crust tart, citrus tart, whipped cream topping, orange dessert recipe
