Ingredients

1 recipeRich Sweet Pastry Dough

　　raw rice or dried beans for weighting tart shell

　　

For pastry cream:

1 1/2 cups milk

　　4 large egg yolks

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　1/4 cup all-purpose flour

　　1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

　　2 tablespoons grappa, or to taste

　　4 blood oranges*

　　4 small navel oranges

　　1/3 cup orange marmalade

　　*available seasonally at specialty produce markets

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425°F.

　　

Step 2

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 15-inch round (1/8 inch thick) and fit it into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Trim dough flush with rim and lightly prick bottom all over with a fork. Chill shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Line shell with foil and fill with rice or beans. Bake shell in middle of oven 15 minutes. Remove rice or beans and foil and bake shell until golden, about 8 minutes more. Cool shell in tart pan on a rack. Shell may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

　　

Make pastry cream:

Step 4

In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan bring milk just to a simmer over moderate heat. In a metal bowl whisk together yolks, sugar, flour, and zest and add hot milk in a stream, whisking. Transfer mixture to pan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Simmer pastry cream, whisking constantly, 1 minute and transfer to a bowl. Whisk in grappa and cool, stirring occasionally. Chill pastry cream, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.

　　

Step 5

With a sharp knife cut a slice from top and bottom of each orange to expose flesh and arrange, a cut side down, on a cutting board. Cutting from top to bottom, remove peel and pith. Cut oranges crosswise into thin slices and drain slices in one layer on several thicknesses of paper towel 15 minutes.

　　

Step 6

In a small saucepan bring marmalade to a simmer, stirring, and force through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids.

　　

Step 7

Spread pastry cream evenly in tart shell. Arrange orange slices decoratively over pastry cream, overlapping them slightly to cover cream, and brush with marmalade. Crostata may be made 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Bring crostata to room temperature before serving.