Blood Orange Tarts with Custard (Print View)

Crisp shells with vanilla custard and vibrant blood orange segments. A stunning French-inspired dessert.

# Components:

→ Tart Shells

01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
03 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
04 - 1 large egg yolk
05 - 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water
06 - Pinch of salt

→ Vanilla Custard

07 - 1 1/4 cups whole milk
08 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
09 - 3 large egg yolks
10 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
11 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Blood Orange Topping

13 - 3 to 4 blood oranges, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
14 - 1 tablespoon honey, optional for glazing
15 - 1 teaspoon water, optional for glazing

# Directions:

01 - In a food processor, pulse together flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and pulse, adding ice water one tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together.
02 - Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
03 - Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut to fit six 4-inch tart pans. Press dough into pans and trim excess. Chill for 20 minutes.
04 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line tart shells with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake 5 minutes more until golden. Cool completely.
05 - In a medium saucepan, heat milk until steaming. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until pale. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and butter.
06 - Transfer custard to a bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap, and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
07 - Spoon chilled custard into cooled tart shells. Top with overlapping slices of blood orange.
08 - Warm honey and water in a small pan and brush over oranges for a glossy finish.
09 - Refrigerate tarts until ready to serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Make-ahead magic: You can prep the shells and custard a full day ahead, so assembly becomes a five-minute moment rather than a stress.
  • Restaurant quality without the fuss: These look impressively fancy but the steps are straightforward once you understand the technique.
  • The tartness actually works: Blood orange's natural tang cuts through the sweetness in a way that makes you want another bite immediately.
02 -
  • Temper your eggs or they'll scramble: I learned this the hard way years ago when I poured hot milk directly into cold yolks and ended up with custard that looked like scrambled eggs. The slow drizzle while whisking isn't just a suggestion—it's what keeps this silky.
  • Don't skip the blind baking: A soggy bottom tart shell is the one disappointment that ruins the whole experience, and 20 minutes of blind baking prevents that completely.
  • Plastic wrap on the custard surface matters: Without it, the custard develops that unpleasant skin that nobody wants to bite into, and it changes the texture of the whole filling.
03 -
  • Keep your butter genuinely cold: Dice it and pop it back in the freezer for 5 minutes before adding it to the food processor—this is the difference between flaky and dense pastry.
  • Listen for the thicken moment: When the custard is ready, it should coat the back of a spoon and leave a clear trail when you run your finger across it, and you'll hear the whisking sound change slightly.
  • Weigh your ingredients if possible: Pastry is more forgiving when you use a kitchen scale, as flour especially gets packed differently depending on how you scoop.
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