Blood Orange Tart

When we were in Italy this summer we travelled around and got to see beautiful cities like Milan and Florence. But it was Vernazza, one of five small fishing villages that make up Cinque Terre, that was most memorable for me. The main street that runs down the center of Vernazza is lined with small boutiques, restaurants, and gelaterias. The street, made of flat square stones, runs from the top of the village, where a flight of stairs leads up to the train station, down to the pier, where colorful fishing boats are docked and people lay soaking up the sun.

Branching of off the main street are narrow streets with the doorsteps to apartment buildings on either side. The apartments like all other buildings in Vernazza are painted light pastel colors and the windows shaded with deep green shutters. Clothes hang on the clotheslines below the windows and potted flowers sit on windowsills and the doorsteps of ground floor apartments. These apartments exude a warm feeling of home and life.
The apartment we rented was on the second story so when I pushed open the shutters I could look down to see people walking on the main street and look out to see the pier and the Mediterranean.

In the afternoons we read our books while bathing in the sun on the beach or the pier. When the afternoon became hot or the sun, blinding, I set my book down on a rock with my clothes and towel and jumped off the pier into the cool, salty sea. I rested there for a while, floating. Melting into the slow rhythm of the waves.
After a refreshing swim one day, my sister and I strolled up to the main street with a few coins in hand looking for something to eat. The village is the size of a small neighborhood so my dad didn't mind letting us walk by ourselves. We stopped at a pizzeria and exchanged a coin for a piece of focaccia topped with tomato and herbs. We sat down at a table outside and shared the bread while watching passersby.

At night we went to restaurants along the main street where meals were composed of local fish, handmade pasta and rich sauces. Each warm bite nourishing the belly and the soul. The sun began to fade as we ate, leaving brushstrokes of pink and purple across the horizon and by the time the last sips of wine were being enjoyed the only light came from the street lamps.
After dinner we walked down to gelateria near the pier. We sat by the water licking our gelatos and listening to the waves lap against the pier. I remember looking at the bright crescent moon in the clear night sky and telling myself to remember it. To hold on to the sweet serenity of not only that moment, but of being in Italy, of enjoying the last few days of summer, of all the incredible meals I had enjoyed.

Months later, we are now in the middle of a dreary, gray winter. In the mornings, when I leave for school the sun hasn't quite lifted itself into the sky yet and it sets before I return from Nordic practice. The darkness of winter has been especially depressing this season. Without snow, it seems as though everything wonderful about winter is ceasing to exist. Except for the citrus of course. The vivid colors of these blood oranges brought a little light into our kitchen as I made this tart. Though it had been weeks since I last baked and it took me a moment to become reacquainted with the kitchen, once I became comfortable, kneading the dough in my hands and slicing open juicy oranges was as revitalizing as the warm afternoon sun in Vernazza.
Blood oranges have the sweet, acidic taste of oranges with a tartness - not unlike that of cranberries. In this tart, the oranges are accompanied by only a whispering of sweetness letting their tartness and light acidity flourish.

Blood Orange Tart
adapted from Zoe Nathan on Food & Wine

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, the stick cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
8 to 10 blood oranges
1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to blend. Add cubed butter and pulse until butter pieces are the size of peas. Sprinkle ice water over dough and pulse just until moist crumbs form. Turn the crumbs onto work surface, bring the crumbs together, knead once or twice and pat the dough into a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 -inch thick. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill for about 15 minutes, until cold. (Note: make sure to remove from fridge once chilled so that the dough is malleable enough to form into a tart in later steps).
Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges removing all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice two oranges crosswise, removing any pits. Transfer the slices to a plate. Working over a sieve set over a bowl cut between the membranes of the remaining oranges releasing the sections into the sieve. Remove the pits and gently shake out some of the juices. You should have 1 cup of sections.
Arrange the orange sections on the dough leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the oranges. Thinly slice the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the oranges. Fold the dough up over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Sprinkle the slices with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375°F and position a rack in the center. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Let the tart cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheet then carefully transfer, with the parchment paper, to a cooling rack and let cool completely.