Portuguese Orange Torte Food

PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS (PASTEIS DE NATA)

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and cold water in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough should be sticky; adjust with more flour or water to achieve what's shown in the video.
• Transfer dough onto a well floured surface. Dust a little more flour over the top. Knead for a minute or two to form a round. Cover and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Roll dough into a square about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour as necessary; dough should still be sticky.
• Spread 1/3 of the butter over 2/3 of the square using a silicone spatula, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Flip the unbuttered side over the middle of the square and fold the opposite end over it like a letter. Straighten the edges as needed.
• Turn dough with a bench scraper to unstick it from the counter; dust with flour. Flip and sprinkle more flour on top. Roll dough into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle, carefully stretching edges as needed. Spread another 1/3 of the butter over 2/3 of the dough. Fold into thirds. Transfer onto a lined baking sheet and freeze until butter is slightly chilled, about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle dough with flour and roll into a square a little over 1/8 inch thick. Spread remaining butter over the dough, leaving a 1- to 1 1/2-inch border on the top edge. Dip your finger in water and lightly moisten the unbuttered edge. Roll dough into a log starting from the bottom edge. Dust with more flour and polish the ends as needed. Seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Combine sugar, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, cinnamon, and lemon zest in a pot. Boil over medium heat, without stirring, until syrup reaches 210 to 215 degrees F (100 degrees C). Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven 550 degrees F (288 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
• Whisk flour, salt, and cold milk together very thoroughly in a cold pot. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until milk thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
• Whisk egg yolks into the cooled milk. Add the sugar syrup and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Strain custard into a glass measuring cup.
• Unwrap the dough and trim any uneven bits on the ends. Score log into 12 even pieces using a knife; cut through.
• Place a piece of dough in each muffin cup. Dip your thumb lightly in some cold water. Press thumb into the center of the swirl; push dough against the bottom and up the sides of the cup until it reaches least 1/8 inch past the top. Fill each cup 3/4 of the way with custard.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is browned and bubbly, and the tops start to blister and caramelize, about 12 minutes. Cool tarts briefly and serve warm.

TORTA DE LARANJA ( ORANGE TORTE )

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to hot, 425°F Line the bottom of a 13" X 9" baking pan with parchment or wax paper. Butter the wax paper generously and also the pan sides; sprinkle 2tbsp of flour over the wax paper, then tip the pan from side to side and back and forth to coat both the wax paper and the pan sides with flour. Rap the pan lightly against the counter, then tip out the excess flour; set the pan aside.
• With an electric mixer set at high speed, beat the 1 1/8 cup of the sugar with the eggs & butter for 5 minutes until the colour and consistency of mayonnaise.
• As soon as the sugar-egg mixture is fluffy-light, stir in the orange juice, rind, and cinnamon. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake uncovered on the middle oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes until the surface is richly browned. As it bakes, the batter may billow into alarming "hills and valleys" but this is perfectly normal.
• While the torte bakes, spread a clean dishtowel across the counter so that one of the short sides faces you. Now sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup sugar over the towel to cover an area slightly larger than that of the your pan.
• The instant the torte is done, remove from the oven and loosen around the edges with a thin-bladed knife or small spatula. Quickly invert the pan on top of the sugared towel and, wasting no time, gently pull off the wax paper.
• With a sharp knife dipped in hot water, quickly trim off any crisp edges around the torte.
• To roll the torte, lift the front end of the towel up, letting the torte roll up on itself, jelly-roll style. Leave the torte wrapped up in the towel for 3 to 4 hours (the torte will make its own jelly-like filling), then carefully unwrap.
• To serve, slice the torte about 3/8in thick and slightly on the bias. Allow 2-3 slices per serving.

PORTUGUESE ORANGE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Generously grease and flour (make sure you include the sides) of a 15x10x1 inch jellyroll pan.
• With a mixer set at high speed, beat together the eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes, or until it is completely smooth and the sugar is dissolved.
• Stir in orange juice, rind and cinnamon.
• Pour into pan, and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the mixture bubbles into hills and valleys, and the top is slightly brown in places.
• While torte is cooking, spread a clean kitchen towel (slightly larger than the torte) on the counter and sprinkle the 1/2 cup sugar over the towel.
• When the torte is done, remove from oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen it. Quickly turn it out onto the sugared towel and use the towel to roll it up from the shorter side.
• Let stand, covered by the towel for about 3 hours, or until slicing and serving.

PORTUGUESE ORANGE-OLIVE OIL CAKE

Steps:

• Spray baking pan with nonstick spray with flour.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven, remove any racks above, and crank up the heat to 350°F (175°C). Coat a 12-cup Bundt or tube pan with baking spray and set aside.
• Finely grate the zest of 3 of the oranges, then squeeze 4 of them. You should have 1 1/2 cups of juice; if not, squeeze the 5th orange. Set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a handheld mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs on medium-high speed until well-combined, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the granulated sugar and continue beating until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and oil, starting and ending with the flour, and beat until just a few wisps of flour remain. Pour in the orange juice and zest and whirl for a few seconds to bring the batter together.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 1 1/4 hours. If the top is browning too much as the cake bakes, cover lightly with foil. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
• Turn the cake out onto the rack and cool completely, then place it in a covered cake stand and let it sit overnight. Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar.

ORANGE TORTE

Steps:

• For orange curd: Mix juices with cornstarch in saucepan until dissolved.
• Whisk in butter, sugar, eggs and yolk until smooth.
• Place over low heat and stir until mixture is thickened to consistency of thin yoghurt, 15-20 minutes.
• DO NOT LET BOIL.
• Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd and cool, then refrigerate overnight; if butter begins to separate, whisk to reblend.
• For cake: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350F.
• Line bottom of 2, 9 inch round cake pans with parchment.
• Combine yolks, 3 tblsps sugar, liqueur, hot water, vanilla, orange zest, cardamon and almond extract in large bowl and beat about 8 minutes.
• Beat whites in a separate bowl, with clean beaters, adding a pinch of salt and another of cream of tartar, until soft peaks form.
• Add remaining 8 tblsps sugar, one at a time, and beat until meringue is quite stiff and glossy.
• Resift flours together.
• Gently fold ¼ of meringue mixture into yolks.
• Scrape yolk mixture over remaining meringue with spatula, then sift ¼ of flour over top and fold in.
• Repeat until all flour is folded in, being careful not to deflate mixture or allow any lumps to remain.
• Drizzle butter over and gently fold in using 3-4 strokes.
• Pour into pans.
• Bake until tops spring back when touched, 20-25 minutes, rotating cakes once.
• Cool.
• To assemble: Loosen cakes from pans and peel off paper.
• Turn right side up.
• Using long, serrated knife, halve cakes horizontally to make 4 layers.
• Arrange 1 layer, cut side up, on platter.
• Sprinkle with 1 tblsp liqueur; spread with 1/3 of curd.
• Repeat 2 more times.
• Top with last layer, flat side up.
• Press gently to align.
• Wrap cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Whip cream with 2 tblsps icing sugar and 2 tblsps liqueur to stiff peaks.
• Reserve 2/3s cup cream.
• Spread remaining cream smoothly over top and sides of cake.
• Spoon reserved cream into pastry bag fitted with star tip and pipe decoratively around sides of cake.
• Garnish with candied orange peel, if you wish and serve at room temperature.

VEGAN CHOCOLATE - ORANGE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat to 350°F and line a 9" springform pan with parchment.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt, baking powder and ground almonds.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, oil, zest, vinegar, vanilla and almond extracts.
• Pour into the dry mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Rotate the pan to level the batter and tap it lightly on the counter. Bake for 43 to 45 minutes.
• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack.
• Sprinkle cake with 1 tbsp ground almonds and cool completely.
• When cool, sprinkle serving plate with remaining almonds and invert cake onto it. Set aside while preparing glaze.
• Glaze / Topping:.
• Combine orange zest, orange juice concentrate and chocolate in a small saucepan and melt gently over low heat.
• Stir in oil, flavoured stevia and salt.
• Pour into a bowl and let sit 15-20 minutes to thicken before use.
• Pour glaze over the cake and sprinkle generously with flaked almonds.