Michel Guérard's orange crepe tart
Today I'm sharing this orange crepe tart recipe from French chef Michel Guérard, which he presented on the French cooking show "Les carnets de Julie," and which I think could be a great option for these days. Guérard was one of the pioneers of nouvelle cuisine thanks to his Salade Folle.
Ingredients · Servings 6
- The zest of 1 orange
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 80g of sugar
- 50 g of milk
- 200 g of flour
- 100g of unsalted butter
- 450 g of milk
- 2 oranges
- 2 tangerines
- ½ lemon
- The zest of 1 orange
- 100g dried apricots
- 200 g of water
- 300 g of sugar
- 4 teaspoons of toasted hazelnut paste
- 300g of homemade citrus marmalade
- 100g of pastry cream
- 2 sheets of filo pastry
- 20g of butter
- 10 g of cognac
- 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
Method · 13 h 15 min
- Place the butter in a saucepan over high heat. You'll see the whey evaporate, leaving only the fat as it turns golden brown. There may be some residue, like burnt bits. To remove it, simply pass it through a fine-mesh sieve or similar material until it's completely clean and free of sediment. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Mix the orange zest, eggs, egg yolks, sugar and 50g of milk.
- Add the flour to obtain a homogeneous dough.
- Add the butter gradually and mix.
- Add the remaining milk and mix. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
- Wash the oranges, tangerines, and lemon. Cut each into 8 segments without peeling. Boil them in salted water for 5 minutes and drain.
- Put the water in a saucepan. Add the citrus pieces, orange zest, and dried apricots and mix. Add the sugar and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring very regularly. Once the water has reduced, blend the fruit with an immersion blender, leaving some chunks, and let it finish cooking. You should end up with a delicious marmalade with just the right touch of bitterness. If you prefer it to be completely smooth, peel the citrus fruits thoroughly, removing all the zest and any of the white pith.
- You'll need to have some pastry cream ready; you can follow this very simple recipe. You'll need about 100g; with the rest, I make other desserts, like this one.
- Put a little butter in a non-stick frying pan or crêpière about 20 cm in diameter—or whatever you have: it won't change the flavor, only the thickness. Make 7 crepes.
- Remember that you can easily make toasted hazelnut paste with this recipe.
- Mix the jam with the pastry cream using a whisk.
- Take one crepe and spread one tablespoon—about 50g—of the orange marmalade and pastry cream filling on top. Place another crepe and layer with marmalade. Add another crepe and spread toasted hazelnut spread evenly over it. Add two more layers of crepes with the orange filling, and finish with another crepe layer topped with hazelnut spread and the final crepe.
- Spread 2 sheets of filo pastry with melted butter and cognac, and sprinkle them with icing sugar using a sieve.
- Crumple a piece of aluminum foil into a loose ball slightly smaller than the crepes. Carefully crumple two sheets of foil and place them on the foil, making sure they cover the crepes. Bake at 170°C (340°F) until golden brown. Keep an eye on the time, as it may vary depending on the brand of batter.
- Remove the foil with the utmost care, place the hat carefully, and sprinkle icing sugar on top.
