Daring Bakers/Orange Tian

I often find myself frustrated when new Daring Baker's challenges are posted, because so often I find the recipes do not appeal to me. Almost every single time, I have been proven wrong. This month I was proven wrong yet again. For a dessert that sounded too much like orange creamsicle pudding, this tian far exceeded my expectations. That being said, the orange whipped cream combination is not totally my thing, but I liked it much more than I thought I would. So when I remake this (yes, I will be remaking it), I will probably try a berry version; this citrus version was good, but a berry version sounds great.

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

For those of you who don't know what a tian is (I didn't), its essentially an upside-down cake with a pate sablee base smeared with marmalade, then topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream, with circles of fruit segments on the top. Almost prettier than it is flavorful, this is definitely my type of dessert. It's not too sweet, very fruity and the pate sablee offers the perfect textural counterpart to the whipped cream. Although this recipe seems complex, each step is pretty straightforward and I can only imagine how many fun variations there are. If you're in the mood for something daring, try this out and let me know what you come up with.

Orange Tian

(yield 1 8-inch round cake)

You may notice some of the pink segments on the top of my cake, I ran out of oranges so I used a grapefruit that I had in my fridge.

For the Pate Sablee:

1 medium-sized egg yolks at room temperature

3 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons butter, cubed and cold

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups + 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1) Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

2) In a separate bowl, add the eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale. Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.

3) Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogenous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4) Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a 1/4 inch thick circle.

5) Using your 8-inch round cake pan as a stencil cut out a circle of dough and place on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or just golden.

For the Marmalade:

1/4 cup freshly pressed orange juice

1/2 large orange used to make orange slices

cold water to cook the orange slices

pectin 5 grams

granulated sugar: use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked

1) Finely slice the orange. Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.

2)Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices. Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them (using a knife or a food processor).

3) Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar . If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar.

4) In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).

5) Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

For the Orange Segments:

4 oranges.

Directions:

1) Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice.

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons of hot water

1 teaspoon gelatine

1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon orange marmalade (see recipe above)

In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream. Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.

Assembling the Dessert:

Make sure you have some room in your freezer.

1) Prepare and 8-inch round cake pan.

2) Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.

3) Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.

4)Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of your cake pan. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.

5) Once you have neatly arranged the orange segments add the whipped cream in spoonfuls and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.

6)Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on the circle of dough.

7) Carefully place a circle of dough over the whipped cream (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.

8) Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.

9) Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cake pan to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of the cake pan (on top of the circle of dough) and flip the cake out of the pan and onto the plate. Gently remove the cake pan and serve immediately.