blood orange tarts (with homemade citrus curd)

I made it! In the past two days I have successfully moved my entire kitchen, closet and cat to my new house. Furniture is still to come on Sunday, but as of right now I’m feelin’ pretty good about everything. Including these tarts.

But first, meet Teddy, my landlord’s puppy!

Teddy and Dexter are going to be best friends. I can just feel it.

To break in my new kitchen, I baked some blood orange and lemon tarts. A flaky sugar cookie crust filled to the brim with tangy homemade blood orange lemon curd. Quite possibly one of the best desserts I’ve made, if I do say so myself. And just so pretty, too! Blood oranges are in season right now and you’d be crazy to pass ‘em up.

Never made homemade curd before? Now’s your big chance! It’s really not as hard as it seems but does take a little bit of time stirring over the stove. Think of it like risotto: time consuming but sooo worth the effort.

Plus, this curd is pretty pink! Another obvious reason for making this recipe.

It’s also great on muffins and scones (and greek yogurt, by the way–I know from experience). I love the idea of having a tiny white pitcher of this alongside some strawberry pop tart scones at a spring party or brunch!

If you do that, please invite me. K?

Blood Orange Tarts with Homemade Citrus Curd

makes 4 small tarts (with about a half cup of leftover orange lemon curd)

adapted from Epicurious

Print this recipe!

Ingredients:

blood orange lemon curd:

juice of one blood orange

juice of one lemon

zest of one lemon

1/2 cup cup sugar

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/2 stick room temperature butter, cut into small chunks

for tart shells:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 T sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 stick COLD butter, cut into chunks

1 egg yolk

1 T milk or cream

Directions:

Make the curd first so it has ample time to chill and set in the fridge. Whisk together the blood orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, eggs and egg yolk in a large bowl.

Place bowl over a pot of simmering water to make a double boiler and add the butter. Whisk continuously until mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.

Swap your whisk for a rubber spatula and continue to gently stir until curd is thick, creamy and coats the back of the spatula completely.

This entire process will take about 15-20 minutes but the end result is very worth it!

Once your curd is thick, take off the heat and pour onto a wax paper lined sheet tray, spreading thin. Press a piece of plastic wrap on top to cover and curd completely and place in the fridge for an hour to set.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter using your fingertips to mix until the mixture resembles sand. Add the yolk and cream and knead until a smooth dough forms.

Roll out dough on a floured surface and press into greased mini tart shell. You could also roll the dough thin and press into a pie dish. Prick dough with a fork and then bake for 20 minutes, or until slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Fill tart shells (or pie) with the curd and place in the fridge for a couple hours to set. Technically, you could eat it right after you fill it, but if you are serving this at a party you may want to wait until the curd is completely set. Chilling the tarts overnight would be ideal.

Time:

1 hr active cooking time, 4 hours-overnight cooling time

Pink food tastes better.

Tagged as: baking, desserts, girly things, pies and tarts, seasonal ingredients