in my four years of living in chicago, i realized how much the four seasons drive me. summer is for beach days and concerts at the park. autumn is to hear the leaves crackling under my feet. winter is to feel the snowflakes with my palm and make hot chocolate. spring is for colors to return, and to not miss rhubarbs and blood oranges. these small things create a schema that i can't quite escape. missing any of these, i could feel very, very uncomfortable for weeks.

so as this spring is coming to an end, i had to pick up some blood oranges to assure the season is whole. the first time i saw these red spotted oranges, i was quite skeptical, but soon the quirky/purple-ish color inside and the less-acid/berry-like taste totally won me over. i usually eat them plain or make juice blend with it, but today i feel like a blood orange tart to celebrate the sunny sunday.

the tart comes with three separate parts: a very easy, rolling-pin-free, buttery pie crust - which can be used on almost any kinds of pies. then a mildly tangy curd filling which can be a bread spread or a yogurt topping. finally a simple, aesthetic finish with caramelized blood orange slices.

blood orange tart

inspired by paule caillat's brown butter tart crust and david lebovitz's meyer lemon curd and lemon tart

makes a 13.75" x 4.325" tart

step by step

for brown butter crust

preheat the oven to 410°f.

stir together butter, canola oil, water, sugar and salt in an oven-proof bowl. (i used a dutch oven) then put it in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the butter bubbles and the edge starts to brown.

take out the butter mix, then quickly pour in flour and form a ball using a spatula.

move the dough to the tart pan and spread it with a spatula. when it cools down, use your fingertips or a fork to press it up the sides of the pan.

prick the crust with a fork for about 20 times, then bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

while the crust is chilling, make the curd filling

for blood orange curd filling

turn the oven to 375°f.

in a sauce pan, warm pour blood orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and butter. stir occasionally.

remove the sauce pan from heat when the butter is melted. let the mixture cool for around fifteen minutes.

in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and the yolks.

whisk the mixture into the eggs, slowly. then pour the mixture back to the saucepan.

turn to medium heat and keep stirring until the sauce thickens and coats the spatula. you might see a bit of cooked egg white, which is normal.

use a spatula to press the curd through the strainer into the zest, then whisk together the zest and the curd.

pour the curd into the tart crust, for about 3/4 inch high, then put the tart in the oven until the filling is set, for about 15 minutes.

let the tart cool for at least 30 minutes. prepare for blood orange slices while waiting.

for blood orange toppings

arrange the blood orange slices neatly on the top of the curd filling. you would want smaller pieces on the side, bigger pieces in the middle. each piece overlaps a bit of one another.

sprinkle the demerara sugar on, use a blowtorch to heat the sugar until caramelized.

let the tart cool completely, then refrigerate.

the tart tastes best when served cold, and with coffee .

ingredients

for brown butter crust

unsalted butter cut into cubes - 6 tbsp

canola oil - 1 tbsp

water - 3 tbsp

granulated sugar - 1 tbsp

salt - 1/8 tsp

all purpose flour - 1 cup

for blood orange curd filling

blood orange zest, from 1 orange - 1 tbsp

freshly squeezed blood orange juice, seeds and pulp removed, from 4 oranges - 3/4 cup

freshly squeezed lemon juice, seeds and pulp removed - 1/4 cup

granulated sugar - 1/2 cup

unsalted butter - 12 tbsp

large eggs - 4

large egg yolks - 4

for blood orange toppings

blood orange slices, 1/4 inch thick, from 4 oranges - 30 slices

demerara sugar - 1 tbsp