Orange blossom — I’ve never really liked it. Neither the smell nor the taste. So it’s a product I never used in baking. And then I came across one of Eric Kayser’s recipes in his book “Tartes gourmandissimes”, which made me terribly want to try it. Pairing strawberry, which I adore, with orange blossom — I wondered what that could possibly be like. And since I’m training my taste buds to new flavours, I thought it was time to try!
Well, I have absolutely no regrets. I loved this tart, and so did everyone who tasted it (that’s the main thing for me). The only downside I found with this recipe is the amount of gelatine in the whipped ganache. I’m used to making whipped ganaches (for macarons, but not only) and I don’t use gelatine (for macarons), or very little (for tarts). So 6 g seemed enormous to me. And as often, I think “if the chef says so…” — in short, there I was adding the 6 g from the recipe. The next day, when it came to whipping the ganache like a chantilly, I had a solid block — I was worried. But after whipping it, the ganache regained a more or less normal consistency. Even so, after a spell in the fridge, I did notice a slightly dense consistency (for me), and I’d be inclined to remove one gelatine leaf (or at least half), but that’s entirely personal.
In short, a dessert I really enjoyed. Strawberry and orange blossom go together very well, and the 2 flavours come through without one overpowering the other.
Ingredients & method
6 components · Full recipe
Orange blossom whipped ganache (make the day before)
Ingredients
- 90 g (3.2 oz) white chocolate
- 3 gelatine leaves
- 100 g (3.5 oz) full-fat cream
- 200 g (7.1 oz) very cold full-fat cream
- 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
Method
1
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water to soften.
2
Break the white chocolate into pieces in a bowl (you can melt it slightly in a bain-marie or in the microwave).
3
Put the 100 g (3.5 oz) of cream and the orange blossom water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
4
Off the heat, add the squeezed gelatine.
5
Pour one third of the cream over the white chocolate and stir to create an emulsion. Then add a second third, then the final third, to achieve a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
6
Add the remaining very cold cream and stir.
7
Press cling film directly onto the surface and refrigerate for several hours (ideally overnight).
Almond shortcrust pastry
Ingredients
- 110 g (3.9 oz) softened butter
- 50 g (1.8 oz) icing sugar
- 25 g (0.9 oz) caster sugar
- 25 g (0.9 oz) ground almonds
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 185 g (6.5 oz) flour
Method
1
Place the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and fold in the two sugars, ground almonds and salt. Add the egg, then the sifted flour and knead briefly until a ball of dough forms.
2
Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
3
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F.
4
Roll out the dough to 2–3 mm thickness with a rolling pin. Lightly prick the dough with a fork and cut out a circle slightly larger than your tart ring.
5
Line the tart ring with the pastry, placing it fork-pricked side down.
6
A few tips for lining a tart ring: tuck the pastry inside the ring and use your index finger to press a right angle all the way around. Form a slight ridge on the inside, roll the pin over the top to remove the excess. Create a neat raised edge by pinching the pastry (see video instructions).
7
Line the tart case with baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beads or dried pulses, then bake for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
8
Once the tart shell is baked and cooled, use a Microplane grater to smooth out any imperfections.
Strawberry compote
Ingredients
- 155 g (5.5 oz) strawberries
- 60 g (2.1 oz) caster sugar
- 2 g (0.1 oz) pectin
- 1 gelatine leaf
Method
1
Soak the gelatine leaf in cold water to soften.
2
Cut the strawberries into pieces and place in a saucepan. Heat to around 40°C / 104°F.
3
Off the heat, add the squeezed gelatine, stir, then blend to obtain a smooth strawberry compote.
4
Pour the compote over the tart base and spread evenly.
5
Leave to set in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
6
Add the sugar and pectin mixture and whisk together (it is important to mix the sugar and pectin thoroughly to avoid lumps).
7
Bring to the boil and cook for one minute.
Orange blossom syrup
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) caster sugar
- 5 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Method
1
In a saucepan, heat 5 tablespoons of water with the sugar.
2
Add the orange blossom water and set aside.
Pain de Gênes
Ingredients
- 30 g (1.1 oz) butter
- 120 g (4.2 oz) marzipan
- 1 egg
- 20 g (0.7 oz) flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 5 g (0.2 oz) cornstarch
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2
Melt the butter.
3
In a bowl, work the marzipan with a spatula to soften it.
4
Fold in the egg and whisk the mixture.
5
Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and cornstarch) and fold into the previous mixture. Finish by adding the melted butter.
6
Spread the batter to a thickness of 5 mm on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 12 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
7
Cut out a 20 cm (7.9 in) disc and set aside.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Place the Pain de Gênes disc on the strawberry compote and press down gently.
2
Soak the sponge with the orange blossom syrup.
3
Remove the ganache from the refrigerator and whip it into a chantilly cream.
4
Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a plain 10 mm nozzle and pipe it over the tart in a spiral, starting from the centre.
5
Decorate with strawberries (the first time I made this tart, I forgot to set some aside for decoration) and with slivers of candied orange.
6
Zest a lime over the top and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Gallery
