Blood Orange and Hazelnut Tart

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Blood Orange and Hazelnut Tart.jpg

Seasonal blood orange slices provide a delicious contrast to the decadent filling. Serve with lightly whipped cream if desired. Although this serves more than four, it keeps for up to a week.

Serves 4 with leftovers

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (500 mL) water
  • 1 cup (250 mL) sugar
  • 2 blood oranges, thinly sliced

Filling

  • 1 cup (250 mL) skin on hazelnuts
  • ½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • ½ cup (125 mL) sugar
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped candied orange peel
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 prebaked 9-inch (23-cm) tart shell

Method

Place water and sugar in a wide pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add orange slices and simmer, turning oranges occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes or until oranges are soft and beginning to look translucent. 

Transfer slices to a rack to cool, reserving syrup. If syrup is not thick enough then boil down until it thickens as it is the glaze for the oranges.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). 

Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes or until skins break. Rub hazelnuts in a tea towel until skins flake off , then place in a food processor and process until ground. 

Combine ground hazelnuts and butter in a food processor or by hand. Sprinkle in sugar and orange peel and pulse until mixture is combined. Add salt and eggs and process until incorporated. 

Spread mixture over the base of a prebaked tart shell and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, covering the edge of the pastry with foil if it begins to get too browned, or until filling is puffed and deeply golden. Cool. 

Fan orange slices decoratively over top of tart. Brush tart with reserved orange poaching liquid. Tart is easiest to cut with a serrated-edge knife.