Blood Orange Tart

Start with an easy tart shell

Thinly slice your Blood Orange and set on paper towels to dry out a bit

Serve to Happy Hubby :)

Much like Meyer Lemons, we only see Blood Oranges in Oklahoma from late December to early February.  This is another recipe I have been making since we lived in California, when I could get Blood Oranges so much more often.  Hubby looks forward to this time of year, when he gets to eat Tart for Breakfast!

Here's the yummy recipe:
Sweet Dough: 

• 2 1/2 cups a.p. flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 T butter
• 2 eggs

Combine your dry ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse 3-4 times to mix.  Cube your butter (with as little handling as possible to avoid warming the butter) and add to the dry.  Pulse until you see the butter uniformly mixed throughout.  Add the eggs and mix until it becomes a dough.  Divide into 2 pieces and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.  Certainly, you can make ahead by a few days or even freeze for later use.  After 30 minutes, remove one of the pieces from fridge and roll out.  I use a 9-in tart pan with removable bottom.  Make sure to take dough all the way up the sides.  Prick all over with a fork and return to fridge for another 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375.  Line tart shell with aluminum foil and beans and bake for about 24 minutes (looking for golden brown).  Cool completely.

Pastry Cream:

• 1 1/2 cups milk (I use skim.  You can use full fat or whatever you have on hand)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup a.p. flour
• 1 tsp vanilla or orange extract

Simmer milk in a medium-sized sauce pan.  Whisk the rest of your ingredients in a bowl.  Once the milk comes to the point where there are tiny bubbles around the edge, remove from heat and slowly add to the egg mixture.  This is tempering.  You're trying to warm the egg mixture slowly to the temperature of the milk.  Make sure you're whisking the egg mixture while adding the milk so you don't cook your eggs.  When all the milk is nicely mixed in, return the whole mixture to the sauce pan and bring to a boil.  You must stir the whole time, or you'll burn your lovely cream!  Simmer for 1 minute once you reach a boil.  Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of your pastry cream and refrigerate until cold.

Assembling your tart:
In our family, I usually cut individual pieces of the tart shell as it is going to be eaten.  If I put the Pastry Cream on the tart shell all at once, since it will be eaten over a week, it'll get soggy and yucky!  It's easier to cut a piece of tart shell, whip up the chilled Pastry Cream (just with a spoon to loosen it up a bit) and cut a fresh Blood Orange each day than serving Hubby something less than yummy!  You might be serving this as dessert to more than one person, so grab your cooled tart shell, spoon your Pastry Cream onto the shell and top with thinly sliced Blood Oranges. 

Enjoy!