Tale of the Two Tarts

I am usually off on Mondays and yesterday, I was determined to do something positive about it. I mean, I feel the summer is disappearing like sand between my fingers, , a sad metaphor on life you might say but hey, that’s the way I feel. I was hoping, shall I say determined even, to head west for the day. I have been meaning to go back to the Burren in Co. Clare to take some pictures of wild orchids, since June now… No luck. Sadly, after looking at the Irish Weather forecast that morning, driving 2hrs under mediocre weather seemed to be a bit of a waste of everything; I sighed and went to plan “B”…

That very night you see, I had imagined of an orange and chocolate tart, inspired from the famous lemon curd tart, but with oranges instead and a layer of chocolate at the bottom. I had loads of organic oranges I needed to use… And now, a lot of time to fill my disappointment.

I did my usual shortcrust pastry. Here it is again:

• 200g organic white flour
• 100g of butter (salted)
• 2 ice cubes
• 1 egg yolk
• Blend, knead a bit and cool for an hour

For the “orange custard” I did:

• 6 eggs
• juice and zest of two oranges
• 150g of melted butter
• a bit of vanilla essence
• 150g of sugar

I beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla essence, then add the orange juices and the zest. In a pan, gently melt the butter and slowly pour over the mix. Put it back into the pan and on a slow heat, keep stirring until it gets thicker.

I did blind bake my tart cast. Grate some chocolate at the bottom like so…

Once thick enough, I poured the orange custardy mix gently on top and baked at 150c ( moderate) for 30 minutes… But hey, keep an eye on it, every oven is different. The result was a lovely orange and chocolate delight!

I wasn’t quite satisfied yet and since the afternoon was young and especially because I had made two batches of short crust pastry, I wanted to use the raspberries and blueberries I had bought on the market last Saturday. Obviously, same operation as the previous tart regarding the pastry; This time, without chocolate at the bottom, but the lovely fruits of summer instead…

For the mix, it was a bit easier for this one:

• 15cl of double cream
• 15cl of milk
• 60g of sugar
• a wee splash of vanilla essence
• 3 egg yolks

This one is easier, you just need to whisk the egg yolks and sugar first, then the cream and the milk. Pour the lot over the fruits and bake at 150c or so but keep an eye as it will set fairly quickly. Less than 20 minutes.

So, this is the little story of “the two tarts”, when life doesn’t go according to plan, Irish weather is predictably unpredictable, we all know that… I am planning the same trip in a couple of weeks where I have been invited to a potato fleagh ( potatoe festival/ barbecue) down Galway way… And if it rains or winds, or whatever else, I am sure you’ll hear more of me!