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.
I really enjoyed this challenge, despite not being a huge citrus-dessert fan (I’m all about the chocolate :) I was lucky enough to be having a small dinner for some friends just before the reveal date, so I aimed to have this done for the dinner, so it would be eaten up (and it was, save for the one piece I held back to photograph!)
I had to make it a day ahead though and so I left it in the freezer until about an hour before dinner. Just a tip: if you freeze this, an hour may not be enough time for it to thaw! My oranges were still a little icy but as I didn’t want to hold my guests up waiting for it to thaw, we ate it anyway.
The verdict? It was very well received. Even I enjoyed it! It’s not rich at all with all that citrus. And my layer of whipped cream was pretty thin, as I had made it “family” style in a 10-inch springform pan (A smaller 8-inch springform would have been better). The orange caramel sauce is a must. It really makes the dish and brings it all together.
Without a doubt, the highlight of this Daring Kitchen challenge for me was the marmalade. I have made marmalade before, but never so quickly and with such great results. I’ll be using this method from now on. It’s wonderful to be able to quickly make up just one jar of marmalade and as oranges of one type of another are available year round, it can be done anytime.
I made up 2 varieties of marmalade – a blood orange marmalade (pictured above left) and a regular naval orange marmalade (picture above right). I used the blood orange for the orange tian, as it was runnier and spread more easily. This marmalade recipe would be great with any type of orange (I think tangerines or clementines would be great). If you like your marmalade a little more tart, adding a few lemon slices would do the trick.
I really enjoyed this challenge (and so did my dinner guests!). Thanks so much for hosting Jen and suggesting such a great dessert!
I’m not going to repeat the entire Orange Tian recipe here because I didn’t deviate from the suggested recipe at all. I did want to include the marmalade part of it below though, so I can find it easily next time I make it.
You can find the complete recipe for the Orange Tian here »
Small-Batch Orange Marmalade
Summary: This was great marmalade and super easy to make. Start with any kind of oranges. You’ll need a scale for this marmalade, for best results.
Ingredients
- Freshly pressed orange juice 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (3.5 oz/100 grams)
- 1 large orange, to make orange slices
- Cold water, to cook the orange slices
- Pectin 5 grams (Certo™ or similar product)
- Granulated sugar: use the same weight of granulated sugar as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked
Instructions
- Finely slice the orange(s) horizontally, leaving skin on but removing any seeds (just like the picture to the left). 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.
- 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).
- Weigh the slices and use the same amount (in weight) 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.
- 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).
- Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.
Number of servings (yield): 2 small jars
Very pretty tian and plating, especially the spoon!
Thanks so much, Laura. I thought I would have liked a bit more of the whipped cream (I’m so fond of whipped cream :) but it was certainly adequate.
Thanks for stopping by. Your chocolate version – wow! That’s right up my alley.
Nice job (and it really is a lovely spoon, too). I don’t think you cream layer looked too thin at all–your tian (well, as much as I can see from the slice) looks lovely).
Great job! That caramel looks yummy. I also am a chocolate lover but it was nice to be “forced” to make a dessert that was almost the complete opposite. :)
Thanks ap269! Loved your chocolate version.
That spoon is gorgeous. Good job on the challenge!
Thanks so much, Karen. I love my spoon too, so sorry, you can’t have it ;)
I love your spoon! I want it hehe. Beautiful photos :)
Thanks Emma. I should clean it up a bit but I can’t bring myself to mess with it :) Enjoyed visiting your tian. Such lovely colour!
I have to say, that spoon is really quite lovely.
The tian is too! The marmalade is really amazing, I know – what a find.