Best Orange Curd Tarts Recipes

ORANGE CURD TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200C, fan 180°C Unroll the pastry and use a 10cm fluted pastry cutter to cut 12 circles and use to line a 12-hole bun tin, pressing each firmly up the sides of each. Freeze for 20 minutes, or until really cold.
• Put a small piece of scrunched baking paper into each pastry circle and fill with baking beans. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden, then remove the paper and beans and bake for 2-3 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• To make the curd, put the orange juice and zest into a small pan with 150ml cold water and the sugar. Mix the cornflour with 3tbsp water. Gently heat the juice and zest until warm, then remove from the heat and pour in the cornflour mixture, stirring immediately. Return to the heat and stir continually until mixed in completely. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl, cover with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming and set aside to cool completely.
• Once the curd is cool, spoon into the cold pastry cases and decorate each with a small orange segment, 2 small mint leaves, 3 blueberries and some orange zest. Dust with a sprinkling of icing sugar.

CHOCOLATE AND BLOOD ORANGE CURD TARTS

Steps:

• Open the puff pastry package, take out one piece, and return the second piece to the refrigerator. Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, unroll it, and sprinkle it with some more flour. Lightly roll it out into a 12" square. From this, cut out four circles; each about 6" in diameter. Lift each circle and carefully line four, 4½" mini tart pans. Prick the bottom of the puff pastry all over with a fork. Place the tart pans on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400º F.
• While the crust is cooling, melt the chocolate and the butter over a double boiler. Cool slightly. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, the egg yolks, and the sugar, then whisk them into the chocolate mixture until velvety smooth.
• Remove the tart pans from the refrigerator. Line the tart shells with square pieces of parchment paper, add some ceramic weights, and blind bake them for about 10 minutes. If you don't have ceramic pie weights, use some dry beans. Remove from the oven and fill the crusts two-thirds of the way up with the chocolate mixture (you will have some chocolate mixture left over, which can be frozen for another day). Bake them for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Once completely cooled, spread the orange curd over the chocolate in as thick a layer as desired and serve!
• Simmer the orange juice in a small saucepan until it is reduced to ½ cup (this will intensify the flavor). Remove from the heat, stir in the orange zest and set aside to cool slightly.
• In the bottom pot of a double boiler, put about an inch of water over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer.
• In the top pot--and off the heat--whisk together the eggs, the egg yolks, and the sugar until the mixture is smooth. Then whisk in the reduced orange juice with the zest. Now place the top pot with the mixture over the bottom pot with the simmering water. The top should fit snugly and should not touch the water. Whisking constantly, cook the egg and orange mixture until the curd has thickened and it has reached a temperature of about 174°F. The curd should have the consistency of mayonnaise. This step will take about 12 minutes, although it might take longer depending on the size of the pot and the intensity of the heat.
• Remove the bowl from heat and stir in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until it is melted (the butter will stop the cooking and will make the curd smooth and velvety).
• If you prefer to leave the orange zest out of the final product, you can strain the orange curd through a fine sieve into a jar for storage. Chill the curd for at least 2 hours before using.