- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total time
- 85 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Quick summary
“Inspired by the classic Sidecar cocktail, this elegant pie combines crispy sucrée dough with velvety blood orange and cognac curd. Finishing with white chocolate ganache brings a sweet, refined contrast.”
What you need to know
- The sucrée dough should be handled as little as possible to maintain its crispy and crumbly texture after baking.
- The blood orange curd is cooked in a gentle bain-marie until it reaches a creamy thickness without curdling the yolks.
- The subtle touch of cognac in the ganache balances the vibrant acidity of the fruit with deep woody notes.
Ingredients
Main
- g All-purpose flour
- g Unsalted butter
- g Powdered sugar
- unit Large egg yolk
- pinch Salt
- teaspoon Orange zest
- ml Fresh blood orange juice
- units Large eggs
- units Large egg yolks
- g Refined sugar
- g Unsalted butter
- tablespoon Blood orange zest
- g Good quality white chocolate
- ml Fresh heavy cream (35% fat)
- tablespoons Good quality brandy
- tablespoons Refined sugar
- teaspoon Fine orange zest
Instructions
Principal
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar, salt, and orange zest. Add the cold butter in cubes. The professional technique is to incorporate the butter quickly, using your fingertips, until you get a coarse crumb texture.
- Add the egg yolk and mix until the dough comes together. Avoid over-kneading so as not to develop the gluten. Form a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preaqueça o forno a 180°C (350°F). Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface and line a 22-24cm pie pan with a removable bottom. Pierce the base with a fork.
- Cover the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and the paper, and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let it cool completely.
- In a heat-resistant bowl, mix the blood orange juice, eggs, yolks and sugar. Place the bowl over a pot with boiling water (bain-marie), without the water touching the bottom of the bowl.
- Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 10-15 minutes). The most common mistake is overheating, which can curdle the eggs.
- Remove from heat and add the butter in cubes, one at a time, stirring vigorously until completely incorporated. Add the orange zest. Sift the curd to ensure a smooth and silky texture.
- Pour the curd over the baked and cooled crust. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until set.
- In a small bowl, place the chopped white chocolate. Heat the heavy cream until it starts to boil (do not let it boil vigorously).
- Pour the hot heavy cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Stir gently from the center outwards with a spatula until a smooth and homogeneous ganache is obtained.
- Add the brandy and mix well. The secret to this recipe is using quality cognac for a deeper flavor. Let the ganache cool slightly before using, until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Spread the cognac ganache delicately over the already firm blood orange curd. Return to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to set the ganache.
- Mix the granulated sugar with the fine orange zest. This is a tribute to the sugar "rim" of the Sidecar.
Chef's tips
- Sift the yolks and eggs before the water bath to eliminate membranes and ensure an ultra-silky curd.
- Use pie weights or raw beans over the fork-pricked dough to blind bake the crust without deforming.
- Let the assembled pie set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before slicing to obtain clean slices.
Variations
- Top the pie with Swiss meringue toasted with a kitchen torch right before presenting at the table.
- Decorate the surface with very thin slices of orange caramelized in sugar and cinnamon syrup.
- Add tonka bean zest or scraped vanilla beans to the egg curd base during the bain-marie.
Substitutions
- Blood oranges can be substituted with bahia oranges or fresh tangerine concentrate.
- The cognac can be swapped for orange liqueur (like Cointreau or Triple Sec) or grape brandy.
- Traditional wheat flour can contain 20% almond flour to give extra buttery aroma to the crust.
How to store
Keep in the refrigerator covered with a cake dome or plastic wrap without touching the filling for up to 4 days. Serve cold so that the curd maintains a firm and refreshing consistency.
Can it be frozen?
Freeze only the already baked and empty pie crust in an airtight bag for up to 2 months. Do not freeze the already filled pie, as the egg and starch curd releases liquid and softens the base.
What to serve with
Perfectly accompanies smooth brewed specialty coffee, late harvest dessert wine, or Earl Grey tea.
Frequently asked questions
Does the alcohol from the cognac evaporate completely in the preparation?
If added to the heated ganache, much of the alcohol evaporates leaving only the floral and woody aromas, but a very subtle residual of the drink still remains.
Why did the pie crust shrink at the edges during baking?
Shrinkage stems from over-kneading the dough (developing the gluten) or not letting it rest in the refrigerator before baking. Respect the 30 minutes of refrigerated rest.
How do I know the exact point at which the orange curd is ready?
The curd is done when it thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, leaving a clear trail when you run your finger through it (nappe stage), usually between 82°C and 84°C in a water bath.
Can I use regular noble chocolate instead of white chocolate?
White chocolate was formulated in this recipe to attenuate the citrus acidity without masking the ruby hue of the orange; dark chocolates would steal the color and delicacy of the filling.
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