Some recipes are worth slowing down for. This is one of them. Pour a glass of something, put on music, let the afternoon go where it wants.
The crostata all'arancia con meringa is the Sicilian cousin of the lemon meringue tart. Same idea: a buttery shell, a sharp-sweet curd inside, meringue on top that catches some colour under the broiler. What makes it different is the blood orange marmalade, which gives the filling a depth and bitterness that lemon alone can't quite achieve.
An orange tart worth the whole afternoon.
Ingredients — Pastry
- 200g plain flour
- 100g cold butter, cubed
- 50g icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2–3 tablespoons cold water
Ingredients — Orange Marmalade Curd
- 4 tablespoons Tutto Sicilia Sicily Orange Marmalade
- Juice of 2 oranges (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 eggs + 2 egg yolks (save the whites for the next step)
- 120g caster sugar
- 80g butter, cubed
Ingredients — Meringue
- 3 egg whites (saved from above)
- 150g caster sugar
Instructions
- Make pastry: rub butter into flour until sandy. Add icing sugar, egg yolk, and enough water to bring together. Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- Roll and line a 9" tart tin. Chill 30 more minutes. Blind bake at 350°C for 15 minutes, then 5 more without weights until pale gold.
- Make curd: whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, orange juice, and marmalade in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until smooth.
- Pour curd into tart shell. Chill for at least 1 hour until set.
- Make meringue: whisk egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually add sugar until glossy and stiff, but not dry.
- Spoon meringue over the tart. Use a kitchen torch or broil briefly in the oven until golden-tipped.
- Chill or serve at room temperature.
Nonna's Notes
A tart like this one is a good reason to use up the citrus sitting on the counter and the eggs you've been meaning to get to. She always found a reason.
Make this for a Sunday when you have the afternoon. Or make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. It holds beautifully and is, arguably, better the next day.
The marmalade in the curd is what makes it Sicilian. That particular tartness, that colour, that depth. It earns the afternoon.
→ Shop Sicily Orange Marmalade
The marmalade in the curd is what makes it Sicilian.
