I know, I know…I seem to have disappeared for the last couple of weeks. Well, I’m still alive, just busy with work (yeah…I have job! You wouldn’t think so with all the cooking I do).  But I hope to redeem my absence with this awesome Blood Orange Crostata recipe.

A few weeks ago I bookmarked a recipe I saw on smittenkitchen for a Blood Orange Tart. It was more of a “if I ever move to a bigger city with a farmers market that might sell blood oranges, I’ll definitely make this!” bookmark and didn’t think I would be making this any time soon. Somehow all the stars and planets decided to align just right, and on my next trip to the grocery store, I saw huge bin full of blood oranges. I couldn’t believe it! Had it always been there at this time of the year, and I had just never noticed it (as you’ll find out, I’m not very observant)?? Maybe I registered it because I had just seen a recipe using this amazing citrus fruit? Whatever it is…I am glad…because the blood oranges gave way to a gorgeous, caramelized, burnt red, flaky, rustic tart! Is your mouth watering yet? :)

Blood oranges are (for those of us not in the know..I had to wikipedia this) variations of the orange with bright red or crimson flesh. They are in season December through March….so you still have time to run out and get some!

Before I start raving how yummy this tart was and how the citrus perfectly counter-balanced the buttery crust, let me tell you that this was pretty time intensive. It requires multiple stages of chilling, during which, if you’re anything like me, you’re sitting around, impatiently waiting to get this over with. This is the first crostata-like recipe I’ve tried. I’ll let you know if they all require this amount of chilling time once I’ve tried some more. In the meantime, I hope some of you try this and let me know what you think!

Flaky Blood Orange Tart
Adapted from Zoe Nathan, via Food and Wine

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, the stick cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
8 to 10 blood oranges (about 5 ounces each) [I only needed 7]
1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons of water

1. In a food processor, pulse the 1 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the baking powder and salt. Add the stick of cold butter and pulse several times, just until it is the size of peas. Sprinkle the dough with the ice water and pulse just until moistened crumbs form. Turn the crumbs out onto a work surface, knead once or twice and pat the pastry into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

2. On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper–lined flat cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until chilled.

3. Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges crosswise; remove the pits. Transfer the orange slices to a plate. Working over a sieve set over a bowl, cut in between the membranes of the remaining oranges, releasing the sections into the sieve. Remove the pits and gently shake out as much juice as possible without mashing the sections; you will need 1 cup of sections. Reserve the orange juice for another use.

4. Arrange the orange sections on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the oranges. Using a paring knife, thinly slice the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the oranges. Fold up the pastry over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry all around. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar on top. Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack and let the tart cool for 30 minutes. Carefully slide the parchment paper onto the rack and let the tart cool completely.

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