Blood Orange Tarts (Printable)

Crisp shells with vanilla custard topped with vibrant blood orange segments—an elegant French-inspired dessert.

# What You 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

# Directions:

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 one tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together.
02 - Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, 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 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, 2-3 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 chill 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, if desired.
09 - Chill tarts until ready to serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The tart shells stay crisp for hours, which means you can actually make these in advance without the sogginess panic.
  • That vanilla custard is silky enough to feel fancy but forgiving enough that you won't need a thermometer or a prayer.
  • Blood oranges taste like regular oranges went to finishing school, tart and floral and just different enough to make people ask questions.
02 -
  • Don't skip chilling the dough twice, once after mixing and once after fitting it into the pans, or your shells will shrink and slump in the oven.
  • Whisk the custard constantly while it cooks, I turned away for 30 seconds once and ended up with sweet scrambled eggs.
  • Press plastic wrap directly on the custard surface while it cools, or you'll get a rubbery skin that nobody wants to eat.
03 -
  • Freeze your butter for 10 minutes before cutting it into cubes, it makes the dough come together faster and flakier.
  • Use a sharp paring knife to slice the blood oranges as thin as possible, thinner slices lay flat and look more elegant on top of the custard.
  • If you're nervous about the custard, cook it over medium-low heat and give yourself an extra minute, slow and steady wins this race.
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