Shelly's Recipe

CARAMEL-NUT TART

Category: Tarts

Crust
10 Tbs (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 C powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, separated
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
9-inch round tart pan with removable bottom

Caramel filling
1 C sugar
1/4 C water
1/4 C orange juice
1/2 C heavy whipping cream
2 Tbs (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 Tbs honey
2 tsp finely grated orange peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C roasted unsalted cashews (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1/2 C pine nuts (about 2 1/2 ounces), lightly toasted
1/2 C walnut pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces), lightly toasted

Make crust first:
Beat butter, powdered sugar, and salt in electric mixer until blended. Add egg yolk and cream. Beat until smooth. Add flour and beat until the dough just comes together. Turn out on lightly floured surface and knead briefly to combine. Gather together and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and put in freezer for about 15 minutes or until firm.

While the dough is freezing, get your oven heated to around 350 F and toast the pine nuts and walnuts. (The cashews I found were already roasted.) I toasted them separately because I wasn't sure if they'd need the same amount of time. They should come out golden, not dark brown. You can also toast them in a skillet, though I think that requires more or less constant stirring to prevent dark spots. Set nuts aside.

Roll out dough to about a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan. Fit dough into pan carefully. This is where it fell apart for me. Ideally you'll have about a 1/2 inch overhang, which you fold back into the pan to create double-thick sides. My edges broke off, so I fitted the pieces back in to create the double-thick sides. Pierce bottom of crust all over with a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes.

(You can finish off the nuts during this time, if you didn't get them done the first time.)

Line crust with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake in 350 F oven until sides are set — about 20 minutes. (Crust will not be done yet, just set.) Remove foil. Bake until golden — about 20 minutes more. If crust bubbles, press back with a fork. Crust should be lightly golden. It's going to get baked some more with the filling.

Right before the crust is done, whisk the reserved egg white until foamy and thick. Remove crust from oven. Brush hot crust with egg white and let cool on a rack; this keeps it from getting soggy. Keep oven on.

Prepare filling:
Stir sugar with 1/4 C water in heavy medium sauce pan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. (Don't stir.) You can brush down sides with a wet pastry brush. Cook until syrup is deep amber — about 9 minutes. You can swirl the pan occasionally to get it all mixed up.

Remove from heat and add orange juice and then cream. (I like to whisk the syrup while adding cold liquids.) Whisk over low heat until smooth. Whisk in butter, honey, orange peel, vanilla, and salt. Stir in all nuts.

Pour filling into crust. Bake tart until filling is bubbling thickly all over — about 22 minutes. Cool tart completely on rack before cutting and serving.

You can make the tart up to a day in advance. Cover with foil and store at room temperature.