Blood Orange Mascarpone Tart

Prep Time: 2 hours | Cook Time: 65 mins | Course: Dessert | Serves: 8

A blood orange tart (or tartlets) with a sweet buttery crust filled with a blood orange mascarpone filling. Blood orange curd is quick to make in the microwave; In making the microwave orange curd; zest and juice each blood orange until you have the proper amount of juice. Top tart with a generous layer of the curd for a thick luscious glaze. Garnish tarts with caramelized blood orange slices. Inspired by The Silver Palate Girls in their cookbook The Silver Palate Cookbook for their Sweet Buttery Tart Crust and Mira @ Cooking LSL for her candied blood orange slices. https://cookinglsl.com/easy-candied-blood-orange-slices-recipe/ 

Sweet Buttery Tart Crust:

1 ⅔ cups flour

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

10 Tbsp cold butter, sliced into tablespoons

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tsp cold water

Layer flour, sugar, salt and butter slices into a food processor. Pulse until mixture is fine with pea-size or smaller like bits of butter. Add in the egg yolks, vanilla and water. Quick pulse about 10 times, until mixture comes together a bit. Spread onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a rectangle folding plastic wrap over. Refrigerate 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 425*. 

Roll out dough onto a lightly floured even surface with a rolling pin. With the aid of the rolling pin, lift dough onto your tart pan and press down the sides evenly. Cut crust off the top by pressing rolling pin all around the edges of the tart pan top. Bake for 15 minutes then cool for another 15-30 minutes before adding the filling.

Blood Orange Mascarpone Filling:

8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature

8 oz creme fraiche

1 blood orange, zest and juice of

½ cup sugar

1 Tbsp grand marnier, optional

Whisk the mascarpone, creme fraiche, zest and juice of the blood orange with the sugar, until well mixed. Stir in the grand marnier, if using, and pour into your pre-baked and cooled tart crust.

Blood Orange Curd:

1 cup sugar

3 eggs + 3 egg yolks

½ cup butter, melted

Orange zest, (enough oranges for 1 cup of juice) 

1 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed (and zesting the oranges before juicing)

1 oz grand marnier, optional

Whisk sugar and eggs + yolks together in a 2 quart glass measurer or mixing bowl, pour in hot melted butter while whisking to temper the eggs. Stir in the zest and juice. Microwave for 1 minute and stir, repeating for 3-8 one minute intervals depending on the strength of your microwave (stirring after each minute). Curd is done when it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add in the grand marnier, if using. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. When cool spread a generous layer of curd over the tart filling. 

Pour leftovers into a mason jar and store in the refrigerator; amazing over toasted and buttered english muffins, mixed into greek yogurt, etc. Shelf life is about two weeks.

Caramelized Blood Oranges:

2 cups water

1 ½ cups sugar

3 blood oranges, sliced evenly and thin (about 1/8th”)

Add water, sugar and oranges to a large skillet and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes. At 30 minutes the slices are candied, the liquid is a pretty pink (clear if using regular oranges instead of blood oranges) and ready to remove to a drying rack for 24 hours or to a 200* oven for about 2 hours to finish drying. I like to continue cooking them until the liquid caramelizes a bit. You must watch them closely that last 15 or fewer minutes so they don’t burn. When you see a lovely caramel color, remove them to a drying rack or piece of parchment paper. Let dry until cool before garnishing the tart; cut them into quarters for small tartlets. rewarm some of the caramel goodness for drizzling over the top of the dessert or dessert plate.