Blood Orange Tarts (Printable Version)

Crisp tart shells with vanilla custard and vibrant blood orange segments. Perfect make-ahead French dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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 - 1-2 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 - 3-4 blood oranges, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
14 - 1 tablespoon honey, optional for glazing
15 - 1 teaspoon water, optional for glazing

# How to Make It:

01 - In a food processor, pulse together flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and pulse, adding ice water a tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together.
02 - Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill 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 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, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter.
06 - Transfer custard to a bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap, and cool to room temperature, then chill 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 - Chill tarts until ready to serve.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The custard is impossibly smooth and tastes like vanilla cream from a Parisian patisserie, but you make it in your own saucepan.
  • Blood oranges bring a tartness and color that makes even a Tuesday night feel like an occasion worth celebrating.
  • You can bake the shells and chill the custard a day early, then assemble these in under ten minutes when guests arrive.
02 -
  • If your custard scrambles, you whisked too slowly or the heat was too high, always use medium heat and never stop moving your whisk.
  • Chilling the tart dough twice, once as a disk and once in the pans, is the only way to prevent shrinkage and cracking during baking.
  • Press plastic wrap directly onto the custard surface or you'll get a rubbery skin that ruins the silky texture you worked so hard to create.
03 -
  • Freeze your tart pans for 10 minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm, it helps the shells keep their shape even better than chilling alone.
  • Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the blood oranges, it cuts through the membranes cleanly without tearing the delicate flesh.
  • If the custard feels too thick after chilling, whisk in a teaspoon of cold milk to loosen it just before filling the shells.
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