several citrus fruits (such as 2 blood oranges, 1 cara cara orange, 2 tangerines, and 6-8 kumquats)
1egg, beaten
2tablespoonssugar
1tablespoonunsalted butter
a few tablespoons flavorful, runny honey, for drizzling (such as blackberry or orange blossom)
Instructions
Prepare to bake:
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400ยบ. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the almond cream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla bean seeds, orange zest, and salt on medium speed until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the almond extract, then add the egg little by little, beating until incorporated. (It's ok if the mixture looks curdled.) Add the flour, beating on low until smooth, then beat in the chopped almonds, scraping the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula, and stirring to combine.
Prepare the crust:
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12x16" rectangle about 1/8" thick. Trim the edges. Spread the almond cream evenly over the dough, leaving a 1" border. Fold the border over the almond cream to make a lip (this will hold in the filling), and press to secure. Chill the tart base in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Prepare the fruit:
Use a small, sharp chef's or paring knife to slice the ends off the oranges and tangerines. With a cut-side down, follow the curve of the fruit, cutting off the peel and all white pith, going around the fruit until all the skin and pith are removed. Slice the fruits into 1/4" rounds, removing any seeds. Slice the ends off the kumquats, and cut them into 1/4" rounds, removing any seeds.
Arrange the citrus rounds on top of the almond cream, placing them as close together as possible without overlapping. Brush the edges of the crust with the beaten egg, and sprinkle the entire tart with the sugar, going heavy on the crust. Dot the citrus with tiny chunks of butter (this will keep them from drying out in the oven).
Bake the tart until the crust is golden and puffed, 25-30 minutes. Drizzle with the honey; just enough to put a pretty sheen on the tart, and cut it into pieces.
The tart is best served warm from the oven, but it will keep at room temperature for 24 hours, or in the fridge for a couple of days.
Notes
Adapted from The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook.I particularly like blood orange and kumquats in this tart, but use whatever flavorful citrus you can find.See my tutorial for making super-flaky, all-butter pie dough that's almost as flaky as puff pastry; you'll need half a recipe (enough for a single-crust pie) and you'll want to do the fraisage and folding options so that your dough flakes as much as the one shown here. If you're gluten-intolerant, try this gluten-free puff pastry from Helene instead.The tart is best shortly after being baked, when the crust is crisp, the filling warm, and the citrus meltingly tender. (Though people who got two-day-old slices still begged for the recipe).Nutritional values are based on one of ten servings.