Make Ahead
Refreshing Blood Orange and Blueberry Tart
- Serves 8 - 10
Author Notes
This is an idea that I have had rolling around in my head for some time. I love blood oranges and recently had great success with my lemon curd, so I thought it would be fun to apply the same concept to blood oranges and turn it into a tart for a beautiful dessert.
Originally I thought I would create a blueberry sauce to serve drizzled over the tart, but I was running short of time so decided to just throw them directly into the tart as the bottom layer. It turned out to be an inspired decision as the result was delicious! Another lesson I learned is that the ratio of citrus juice to sugar had to be adjusted significantly from the original lemon curd recipe. Blood oranges are much sweeter and if the sugar isn’t cut back, the result is cloying. I also ended up added some additional lemon juice and I was very happy with the final product.
The crust is an almond based crust, but you could use your favorite tart crust recipe. The trick for a succsseful tart crust is to not skip the chilling process. This is one of my biggest downfalls, as I am always trying to rush the process. It will still turn out without the chilling, but not nearly as well.
Refreshing tart with a delicious almond crust. The crust can be used for other tarts and the filling is delicious on its own as well.
—cookshootblog
Ingredients
- Almond Tart Crust
-
1/3 cup
blanched almonds
-
1 1/4 cups
all purpose flour
-
3 tablespoons
sugar
-
1/4 teaspoon
salt
-
6 tablespoons
chilled butter - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
-
1
egg, lightly whisked
-
2 tablespoons
ice water
- Blood Orange Curd and Blueberry Filling
-
1/3 cup
blood orange juice - try to use red-fleshed oranges for the best color
-
2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice
-
3
eggs
-
3/4 cup
white sugar
-
1/4 cup
unsalted butter, melted
-
1 tablespoon
blood orange zest
-
1 pint
blueberries, washed, dried and sorted
Directions
- Almond Tart Crust
- Finely grind almonds in processor.
- Add flour, sugar, and salt and process until blended. Transfer to bowl and cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg and lightly toss. Add 1 tablespoon ice water at a time until moist clumps form.
- Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap into plastic; chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold dough overhang in, pressing to adhere and forming double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Freeze 20 minutes.
- Bake crust until set and light golden, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely
- Blood Orange Curd and Blueberry Filling
- In a double boiler over simmering water, whisk 3 eggs & 1 cup sugar until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue to gently whisk mixture until thickened, approximately 15 minutes. Don’t over-thicken as the filling will be cooked further.
- Taste for balance, if necessary add more lemon or sugar to suit your taste.
- Transfer to medium bowl and cover entire surface with plastic wrap. Be sure to press the plastic wrap right onto the curd or a film will develop. Cool in refrigerator until at least room temperature.
- Assembly: Arrange a layer of blueberries in the bottom of the cooled crust. Carefully pour the blood orange curd over the blueberries. Smooth filling to create an even layer. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Let cool at least 1 hour before carefully removing sides from pan and slide onto serving plate. Cut into small wedges and serve with freshly whipped cream.
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