Blood oranges are at their peak of season now, ruby red and juicy sweet and this easy to make tart shows them off. Of course you can use navel oranges as well. Sometimes I leave the peel on. It caramelizes and sweetens slightly during cooking and I like the texture.

 

Blood Orange Rustic Tart
This is a very simple tart to make, even if you don’t think of yourself as a baker.

12 x 14 inch sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed as directed by manufacturer
3 to 4 blood oranges or a mix of blood oranges and navel oranges
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup crème fraîche mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F.

On a floured work surface, spread open the puff pastry sheet, if folded. Roll to a rectangle a scant 1/2 inch thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the rectangle to the paper. Pinch the edges up to form a generous 1/2-inch rim. Place in the freezer and chill 15 minutes to firm edges, or refrigerate for 1 hour.

Slice the oranges crossways into ½ inch thick slices. Trim the peels or not, as you prefer.  With the tip of a knife, remove the seeds.

Remove the chilled pastry and snugly layer the oranges on top in a single layer. Sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake until the pastry is puffed and browned and the oranges have caramelized slightly, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Cut the tart into rectangles about 2 inches by 3 inches. Serve warm with the optional crème fraîche.

Serves 6 to 8

Sultan de Marabout Fig Tree Now Shipping

It’s time to order your bare root fruit trees, and our  3-year old Sultan de Marabout fig trees are ready to ship. These delicious, super-sweet figs are orignally from Algeria and were imported into the United States in the early part of the 20th century. The trees we sell are made from cuttings of our mother tree, which not only provides hundreds of cuttings, but fruit from August into October. The fruit doesn’t ripen all at once, which is ideal for a home fruit tree.

Think making summer and fall dishes with your figs, like pork roast stuffed with figs, or fig croutons with goat cheese and prosciutto. Maybe even a fresh fig tart.

 

 

 

Potager to Plate Style

And, while imagining yourself picking figs in fall, why not imagine yourself pulling radishes and picking peas in spring? Nothing tastes better than something you’ve grown yourself.

Try La Vie Rustic’s Spring Potager Set, Heirloom French Lettuces or Heirloom French Chicories and you’ll be serving Potager to Plate Style at your house.