Candied orange crostata
Australian Gourmet Traveller Italian cake recipe for candied orange crostata
- 30 mins preparation
- 1 hr 45 mins cooking plus resting, cooling
- Serves 8
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Ingredients
- 225 gm block of shortcrust pastry
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
Candied orange
- 2 oranges, cut into 5mm-thick slices
- 330 gm (1½ cups) caster sugar
- 160 gm (2/3 cup) light corn syrup
- 1 tbsp grappa
Almond filling
- 160 ml (2/3 cup) milk
- 3 pieces of orange rind
- 2 egg yolks
- 110 gm (½ cup) caster sugar
- 1½ tbsp plain flour
- 50 gm soft unsalted butter
- 20 ml (1 tbsp) grappa
- 40 gm (1/3 cup) almond meal
Method
Main
- 1For candied orange, place orange slices in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, drain and repeat 7 times. Combine sugar, corn syrup and 80ml (1/3 cup) water in a large saucepan, stir over medium heat until dissolved and simmering. Add orange slices, bring to the boil, simmer over low heat until orange is translucent and syrup is thick (1-1½ hours). Remove from syrup and drain on wire racks in a single layer until cool. Reserve ¼ cup syrup, and add grappa, for brushing.
- 2For almond filling, bring milk and orange rind just to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk egg yolks and half the sugar in a bowl until thick, add flour and whisk to combine. Pour over milk mixture, whisk to combine, return to pan and whisk over medium heat until thick (2-3 minutes). Cool completely, remove rind. Beat butter and remaining sugar using an electric mixer until pale, add grappa, almond meal and cooled custard and beat to combine.
- 3Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out pastry to a 30cm round between 2 sheets of baking paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Spread almond filling over pastry, leaving a 4cm border, top with orange slices and fold over pastry edges, pleating as you go. Brush pastry with eggwash, then brush oranges with reserved syrup. Bake until golden (35-40 minutes). Cool on tray for 10 minutes, transfer to a cake rack and cool. Serve drizzled with remaining syrup.