Orange Curd Meringue Tart

Orange Curd Meringue Tart. A sweet and tart orange curd inside a flakey pastry crust topped with a mountain of fluffy meringue. A delightful dessert to serve at dinner parties or even Sunday supper.

Orange Curd Meringue Tart.

Originally published May 2011.

Note: 2026 ingredient update.

With the discontinuation of frozen orange juice concentrate in Canada and thee US by Minute Maid Brand, people are in search of a substitute ingredient in some recipes.

I used it previously to give more intense orange flavour to several things, like the orange and honey syrup which gets soaked into the cake layers in this delicious cake.

I plan on exploring the topic in more detail later. For now, my suggestion is to reduce plain orange juice to half its volume and let it cool before using it in the recipe.

Since the citric acid content is high in orange juice, I’d prefer to reduce it in a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish in the oven. 

My fear is that the acid would react with certain metals in cookware, leaving a metallic taste. Whatever amount of concentrte is required, just use double the amount of orange juice.

Pour it into a small shallow pan and place in a 350 degree F oven until the volume decreased by half. The time will vary by the amount needed and the size of the baking dish.

Just watch it carefully and perhaps measure a couple of times along the way to gauge progress. If it reduces too much, just top up the volume with a little water.

On to the original post and recipe.

Can you tell I really like meringue? While I really like Lemon Meringue Pie too, I sort of prefer a shallower crust filled with a more intensely flavored  citrus curd and then topped with plenty of meringue.

Sweet, light, creamy, tart, flaky and utterly delicious, this dessert has a lot to offer in both taste and texture.

This tempting treat switches up the citrus flavour by using frozen orange juice concentrate and finely minced orange zest in the filling. This gives the tart a particularly intense orange flavour.

Try the recipe with the zest of seasonal citrus like clementines and tangelos too.

For even more delicious recipes, be sure to have a browse of out Top Ten Pie Recipes collection!

And of course, be sure to check out our classic Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie:

Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

Like this Orange Curd Meringue Tart recipe?

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Orange Curd Meringue Tart

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Orange Curd Meringue Tart. A sweet and tart orange curd inside a fiery pastry crust topped with a mountain of fluffy meringue. A delightful dessert to serve at dinner parties or even Sunday supper.

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Ingredients

For the Pastry

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• 1 cup butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
• 2 ½ cups flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/3 ice water or less, (Only enough to make a dough form.)

For the Orange Curd Filling (for one 10 inch tart)

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• 6 extra large egg yolks
• ½ cup good quality frozen orange juice concentrate (See notes below for substitution.)
• Zest of one large orange, finely minced
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, cut in small pieces

For the Meringue:

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• 6 egg whites
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

To prepare the pastry

1. Makes sufficient pastry for three 10 inch tart shells. The dough freezes well for later use
2. Using a food processor or a pastry blender cut cold butter into flour and salt until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Small pieces of butter should still be visible.
3. Pour cold water over the mixture and work in by tossing with a fork until dough begins to form.
4. Use your hands as little as possible and work the dough as little as possible. Divide dough into 3 balls, flatten into 3 rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can freeze the other rounds for another time.
5. You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.
6. Roll the dough into a 12 inch round and place in the bottom of a 10 inch tart pan. Trim and flute the edges as desired.
7. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the pastry shell, rest in the refrigerator for an additional 20 minutes before baking at 400 degrees F for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cool completely before adding the filling.

To prepare the Orange Curd Filling

1. Whisk together egg yolks, orange juice concentrate, orange zest and sugar in a small saucepan.
2. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
3. Remocve from heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time until smooth.
4. At this point you can press the orange cured through a sieve to remove the zest if desired but I generally don't bother. I find the zest intensifies the orange flavor even more as it cools.
5. Chill completely before pouring into the baked shell. Top with meringue.

To prepare the Meringue

1. Whip egg whites, vanilla, salt and cream of tarter to soft peaks.
2. Very gradually add the sugar in a continuous slow steady stream while continuing to beat the egg whites.
3. Spoon onto the orange curd in the tart making sure that the meringue touches the crust all the way around the tart. This will help to prevent the meringue from shrinking.
4. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until the meringue is well browned. Cool tart thoroughly in the refrigerator before serving. Keep refrigerated.

Notes

Note: 2026 ingredient update.

With the discontinuation of frozen orange juice concentrate in Canada and thee US by Minute Maid Brand, people are in search of a substitute ingredient in some recipes.

I used it previously to give more intense orange flavour to several things, like the orange and honey syrup which gets soaked into the cake layers in this delicious cake.

I plan on exploring the topic in more detail later. For now, my suggestion is to reduce plain orange juice to half its volume and let it cool before using it in the recipe.

Since the citric acid content is high in orange juice, I'd prefer to reduce it in a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish in the oven. 

My fear is that the acid would react with certain metals in cookware, leaving a metallic taste. Whatever amount of concentrte is required, just use double the amount of orange juice.

Pour it into a small shallow pan and place in a 350 degree F oven until the volume decreased by half. The time will vary by the amount needed and the size of the baking dish.

Just watch it carefully and perhaps measure a couple of times along the way to gauge progress. If it reduces too much, just top up the volume with a little water.

 

Recommended Products

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

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  KitchenAid Professional 6 Quart Bowl Lift Stand Mixer with Food Grinder Attachment, Empire Red
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Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 521Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 17gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 169mgSodium 433mgCarbohydrates 53gFiber 1gSugar 22gProtein 9g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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