Satsuma Orange Galette with a Cream Cheese Crust & Inspiration

I've been thinking lately about the function of a recipe-- how it is inherently a teaching text. That seems obvious, but I think it's something I often forget. How these thoughts translate to my own purposes is:
1) In how I interact with a recipe and consider the type of recipe I like to follow and 2) In how I can best write recipes in a way that not only teaches the reader how to make the thing that the recipe is in fact describing, but that also allows the reader how to have their own agency. I don't want my recipes to be so proscriptive that a reader doesn't feel like they can stray from it, improvise, or use their own variation. Because ideally, they will make it their own. To take that one step further, I've been considering how a recipe--or at least one in the form we think of it--could become unnecessary--where a text or combination of text and image might not be proscriptive at all but rather inspirational. It's like the difference between a traditional classical music score and something by John Cage or Pauline Oliveros or Christian Wolff where there is a range of variability allowed for, welcomed even, in each performance of the piece.

I'm not entirely sure what that all means for my recipe writing and for this blog, but it's something I'd like to experiment with more here and elsewhere. It feels exciting--a way to bring more experimentation and creativity to my own baking and the baking of others. Now I'm in a sense going to forgo all of what I just said and give you a pretty standard recipe, but with the side note that hopes to allow for some inventiveness and imagination.

Galettes are one of my favorite things to make because of all the possibilities they can inspire. They can be as simple as pastry, fresh fruit, and a sprinkling of sugar, or involve multiple ingredients and processes. This particular time I was called to the leaf-on satsuma oranges at the grocery store (I know I'm hitting the tail end of citrus season here, but spring was late so I'm using that as my excuse). But I've made galettes in all sorts of varieties--sweet and savory. For savory dishes they are a great way to combine multiple ingredients but for dessert galettes, I usually like to stick with one type of very fresh fruit. It's a great way to showcase what's in season and let the fruit itself shine. You can also try different crusts--I've used my standard pie crust recipes but also rye crusts, buckwheat crusts, cream cheese crusts (like I use here) and more.

Here are a few galettes I've made in the past, along with a new recipe for a Satsuma Orange Galette with a Cream Cheese Crust (which is a variation on this Blood Orange Galette I made long ago). Hopefully they'll provide a little inspiration for your own kitchen improvisation, or as my friend Mandy calls it "free jazz baking."

Savory Galettes
Gordy's Cherry Pepper Spread Galette
Ham, Gruyere & Caramelized Onion Galette with Fried Egg
Heirloom Tomato-Ricotta Galette
Swiss Chard & Goat Cheese Galette
Tri-color Potato, Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese & Rosemary Galette

Sweet Galettes
Apple Galette
Cranberry-Lime Galette
Plum & Orange Flower Custard Galette
Simple Rhubarb Tart
Strawberry Rhubarb and Wine-Soaked Fig Rustic Tart

Satsuma Orange Galette with a Cream Cheese Crust 

Ingredients 
1 cup flour, plus more for dusting 
1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. raw Turbinado sugar 
1/4 tsp. baking powder 
1/4 tsp. salt 
5 Tblsp. salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled 
4 Tblsp. cream cheese 
3 Tblsp. ice water
6-8 oranges
1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 Tblsp. of water 

Directions
1. Whisk 1 cup of flour with 2 Tblsp. sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the 4 Tblsp. of cold butter in sliced pieces and cream cheese and cut into flour mixture with a knife and fork or pastry cutter. Sprinkle the dough with the ice water and combine until pastry can be formed into a disk. Wrap pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. 

2. On a floured work surface, roll out pastry to an 11-in. round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper–lined flat cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, peel the oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith with a knife. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges crosswise and remove the pits. Transfer the orange slices to a plate. Cut in between the membranes of the remaining oranges, along section lines. You will need 1 cup of sections.

4. Arrange the orange sections on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 Tblsp. of sugar over the oranges. Thinly slice the remaining 1 Tblsp. of butter over the oranges. Fold up the pastry over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with 1 Tblsp. of the sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-in. border of pastry all around. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tblsp. of sugar on top. Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Let the tart cool completely. Serve with salted butter caramel sauce, if so desired. Recipe here.

Orange Creamsicle Pie

Orange and cream--one of the best summer flavor combinations out there. When I was little, I used to enjoy it by way of a Dairy Queen Orange Mr. Misty Float-- an "orange" slushy with a scoop of vanilla soft serve; and of course, in the form of a Creamsicle. Not to be confused with the Dreamsicle, with its ice milk center, the more rich Creamsicle boasts a vanilla ice cream middle, coated with orange-flavored ice. 

Though the Creamsicle is an emblematic hot weather treat and National Creamsicle Day is apparently celebrated on August 14th, I made this pie version back in April, before I went away to the woods. There at the start of spring, I was still working through the box of Florida citrus I'd bought from a local school fundraiser, and needed to make a pie for my CSA members. I found this take on the Creamsicle, from Joy the Baker and adapted it only slightly. It's essentially an orange 'n' cream icebox pie and is just as refreshing at its popsicle counterpart. I think one member even put it in the freezer for a bit--the only thing missing was the popsicle stick.

Orange Creamsicle Pie

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients

For crust:

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

5 Tblsp. unsalted butter

1 Tblsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

For filling:

3 1/2 Tblsp. cornstarch

1 c. sugar

1 Tblsp. orange zest

1/2 c. fresh squeezed orange juice

3 large egg yolks

1 c. milk

1 c. sour cream

1/4 c. unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 c. heavy whipping cream (for whipped cream top)

Confectioner's sugar, to taste

Directions

For crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and add melted butter, sugar, and salt until well mixed. 

2. Pat the buttery crumbs into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing mixture into the bottom and sides to form a pie crust. Place in oven and bake until crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature before adding the filling.

For filling:

1. Combine cornstarch, sugar, orange juice, zest, egg yolks, and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until thick, stirring constantly.

2. Add the chunks of butter and stir until they are completely melted. Let cool for 15 minutes, then add the sour cream, stirring to incorporate. Pour filling into the cooled graham cracker crust and place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pie. Place in the fridge and chill for at least 3 hours. 

3. Just before serving, whip the whipped cream in a small metal bowl with a few tablespoons of confectioner's sugar, if desired. Spoon on top of the pie, and serve still chilled.

Related recipes:

"Levon Helm's" Lemon Icebox Pie

Florida Grapefruit-White Chocolate Pie

Orange and Yogurt Tart

Shaker Orange Tarts

Orange & Yogurt Tart

I just got back from a Virginia cabin birthday weekend with some dear friends. These little get-aways, whether at the beach or and old-time festival or for some other occasion, is something our broader circle does fairly regularly, especially because many of us don't live in the same place. But when I thought about what I most wanted to do to celebrate my 30th, this was it.

It took a while to figure out all the details. Initially we had planned for an earlier weekend and then nixed it because it was feeling too complicated. I was stressed about getting ready to go away for the spring and then thought it might not happen at all. Though our original idea was to reserve a cabin in a Virginia state park, we worried we might not have enough room, and mined dozens of Airbnbs and lakehouses for rent-- historic Italianates on peacock farms and treehouse yurts in the woods with saunas and hot tubs. Many were booked and most were out of our price range. In the end, we went back to our original plan, and though there were no fancy amenities and we'd have to squeeze in, we reserved a little (and very affordable) 2-bedroom park cabin on the James River.

Despite most of us encountering some  travel complications on Friday--tornados and thunderstorms and traffic and babies on hunger strikes, the rest of the weekend was just so... easy. We played Madlibs and Exquisite Corpse around the fire, drank homemade micheladas and gin and tonics on the deck, went for walks in the woods, read and played records and took turns making meals. My friends Lora and Alex very cutely smuggled in a homemade birthday cake and frosted it last night, crediting the sound of the beater to the "milkshakes" they were supposedly making.

But it was totally relaxed, nothing pressing, no extravagant plans (though we kept checking in about our "hopes and dreams" for the day/afternoon/next hour)-- and it was just perfect. Though I was pretty stressed about all I had to do when we left on Friday, unsure if I should even be going away, it turned out to be just the check-in with friends and self to feel more sane and relaxed. Perhaps the NPR story I heard that quoted Ghandi--"I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one"-- was foretelling.

Now I don't want to be too contrived in an attempt at a connection between this Virginia weekend and this Orange & Yogurt Tart I made in DC several weeks ago, but as I sat down with the photos and recipe to write about it, this common feeling came to mind. The idea of something easy, something not too extravagant,  but that's simple and good for you.

When I made this dessert (for the same show as the Grapefruit Chess Pie), I kept telling people, before we tried it, that it "might taste healthy," worried that it might not be flavorful or exciting enough. Sure, maybe it does taste a little healthy, but it's also rich and refreshing, like an orange-topped panna cotta with an almond crust. Sometimes the thing that's the most simple and easy is really just what you need.



Orange & Yogurt Tart
From Martha Stewart's New Pies & Tarts

Makes 1, 9-inch tart

Ingredients
For crust:
1/2 c. whole raw almonds
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 c. all-purpose flour
6 Tblsp. unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

For filling:
2 tsp. unflavored powdered gelatin
2 Tblsp. ice water
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
Pinch coarse salt
3 navel oranges

Directions 
For crust:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse almonds with granulated sugar and salt until finely ground. Add flour and pulse to combine, then add butter and pulse to combine. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan and place in the fridge or freezer until firm, approximately 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool.

For filling and assembly:
1. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the water and let stand 5 minutes. Pour cream into a small saucepan and place over medium heat. When it begins to steam, add the softened gelatin and stir until dissolved, about 1 minute. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir the warm cream mixture into the yogurt mixture until combined. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the yogurt. Chill until set, about 2 hours and up to 1 day.

2. Use a sharp paring knife to slice the ends off of the oranges. Following the curve of the fruit with your knife, cut away the peel, removing as much of the pith as possible. Slice the oranges into 1/4-inch thick rounds, removing seeds. Just before serving, arrange orange slices on top of the tart.

Related recipes:

Shaker Orange Tarts

Rustic Blood Orange Tart with a Cream Cheese Crust

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with an Almond Shortbread Crust

Pie & Doughnuts for Woodsmen and You

A few weeks ago, I was scouring the Library of Congress Print & Photograph Online Catalog for work. I was looking for images of western culture and song--mostly cowboys and Texas fiddling and pow-wow drum, but I was having so much fun looking at those old photographs that I decided to put in a few search terms that were of a more personal interest, namely "pie" and "doughnuts" (another baked good favorite). The search yielded exciting results--historical images of a little girl feeding doughnuts to a bear cub, national doughnut queens and pie contests and socials. One group of photos combined these two queries--a collection of images by John Collier from May 1943 of Maine loggers and woodsman on a Spring pulpwood drive on the Brown Company timber holdings.

According to the photos' captions, the woodsmen ate four meals per day, with the two "lunches" at 10am and 2pm served "on location", cafeteria style into individual pie tins. Desserts included "several kinds of cookies, gingerbread, doughnuts, and two kinds of pie." Hmm... that dessert menu sounds familiar... Maybe we should start serving our doughnuts out of barrels too.

 

In the above picture, "Cookie" the cook's assistant is dishing out pie at the mid-morning lunch near where the men are working. Below, a woodsmen enters the Pie Enjoyment Zone during his mid-afternoon "lunch" by Long Pond. On the menu that day: roast pork and dressing, boiled potatoes, turnips, baked beans, hot cakes, hot biscuits, bread, butter, cookies, apple pie, orange pie, milk, tea, coffee, and water. These men must have been working hard. I also wonder what that orange pie was all about?

  

Based on the limited knowledge I have of New England foodways, mainly from folklore and literature (I'm thinking of Sarah Orne Jewett's The Country of the Pointed Firs, which is full of both doughnuts and pies!), pie and doughnuts were traditional rural foods, consumed for both dessert and for breakfast. I wonder when and where doughnuts became more of a standard breakfast item than a dessert?

This whole post wasn't just an excuse for me to use the pie blog plug my friend Amy's donut zine release party tonight, but I'll let these Maine woodsmen's pie-and-doughnut pairing serve as one. If you're in DC tonight and want to learn more about and of course, eat some doughnuts (some even filled with pie filling!), make your way over to the Velvet Lounge at 8pm for "Donut Go There" A Zine Release Party. Tarts by Tarts will be contributing some special edition doughnuts to the doughnut buffet, my friend Pete will deliver a west coast doughnut scene report, Amy will be speaking, bands are playing, I'll be performing this little doughnut ditty, and you can get your hands on one of these zines, free with admission. There wont be pie, but who doesn't love doughnuts?