Orange Cardamom Tart Pistachio Crust (Printable version)

Bright, fragrant tart with creamy orange-cardamom filling and crisp pistachio crust

# Ingredient list:

→ Pistachio Crust

01 - 1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
06 - 1 large egg yolk
07 - 1-2 tablespoons ice water

→ Orange Cardamom Filling

08 - 3 large eggs
09 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
10 - 2 tablespoons orange zest
11 - 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
12 - 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
13 - 1/4 cup heavy cream
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
15 - Pinch of salt

→ Garnish

16 - 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
17 - Orange zest strips or candied orange slices

# Directions:

01 - Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour, powdered sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add egg yolk and pulse a few times. Drizzle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing just until dough begins to clump. Press dough evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Chill for 20 minutes.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
03 - Line crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and bake 8 more minutes, until golden. Cool slightly.
04 - In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until smooth. Whisk in orange zest, juice, cardamom, heavy cream, melted butter, and salt until fully blended.
05 - Pour filling into the slightly cooled crust. Bake at 325°F for 20-22 minutes or until filling is just set but still slightly wobbly in the center.
06 - Cool tart at room temperature, then chill at least 1 hour before serving.
07 - Garnish with chopped pistachios and orange zest or candied orange before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The crust, studded with ground pistachios, bakes up with this incredible shortbread texture that somehow manages to be both tender and crisp all at once
  • Cardamom and orange are one of those flavor pairings that just makes sense, like they've known each other forever and are finally having their moment
  • Despite looking like something from a French patisserie window, this comes together with surprisingly little fuss and no fancy techniques required
02 -
  • The center of the tart should still wiggle slightly when you take it out of the oven, because residual heat will continue cooking the filling as it cools and you want that silky, barely set texture
  • If your pistachios are already salted, skip the added salt in the crust, because once those nuts concentrate during baking you'll end up with something way too savory for dessert
  • This tart tastes best after at least a few hours of chilling, which gives the cardamom time to mellow and meld with the orange instead of tasting sharp and separate
03 -
  • Zest your oranges before juicing them, because trying to zest a squeezed orange is frustrating and you'll miss all those precious oils in the skin
  • If you don't have pie weights, dried beans work perfectly and can be reused indefinitely as your dedicated blind baking beans

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