Tartlet with tangerine curd
February 23, 2012 • Category: Dessert
Greengrocers in Beirut are flooded with clementines these days. One can also find Seville oranges called bousfeir, which are bitter oranges used for orange blossom water and candied orange rind and jams. This tart is a simple sweet crust with a clementine curd. The curd can be made on its own and keeps for a good ten days in the fridge. This recipe is inspired by one for orange curd.
Clementine curd: Makes 2 cups (250 ml.)
- 1 1/2 cups of fresh clementine juice (or tangerine)
- 4 tbsp of fresh Seville orange juice or lemon juice
- 3/4 cup of raw sugar (or white sugar)
- 8 tbsp of unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs + 4 egg yolks
- pinch of saffron (optional)
- 4 drops of red food color (optional)
- a few candied orange rinds to garnish (optional)
METHOD:
- Place the fresh juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer; let it simmer gently for about 12 minutes until the juice has reduced to 1/2 cup. Add the zest and the orange juice (or lemon juice if Seville oranges are not handy) and set the mixture aside until it cools.
- Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is thoroughly combined; add the cooled juice with the zest and, using a wire whisk, stir the mixture continuously over very low heat until it thickens; this should take 5 to 10 minutes.
- When the mixture is thick, run a metal spoon in it and swipe your finger on the spoon to see if it leaves a clean mark. If it does, the custard is ready; add the saffron and stir a few seconds longer to spread it around. If desired, add a few drops of food color and stir away from the heat.
- To get the smoothest texture, pour the curd through a sieve and strain it, pressing on it with a large spatula; the zest and saffron threads (if using) will stay behind and the curd will be as smooth as silk.
To make the crust:
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- dash of salt
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- 1 stick of unsalted butter (4 oz or 100 g.)
- 1 egg
- 3 or 4 tbsp of whipping cream
METHOD:
- Place the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor or mixer. Mix to combine well. Add the butter, cut in small pieces and mix until the flour is coarse. Add the egg and mix and add the cream and mix until the dough is compact and moist. Transfer the dough to a plastic bag and refrigerate at least one hour. When ready to use, soften at room temperature and roll out into a greased and floured pan, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a medium-hot oven (350F) until the crust is dry and golden-browned. Cool.
Comments
27 Comments • Comments Feed
john@heneedsfood says:
Ooh I love this, and I haven’t even tried it! Clementine curd. The name just makes my mouth water. Great recipe!
On February 23, 2012 at 2:08 am
the indolent cook says:
Love the idea of clementine curd!
On February 23, 2012 at 5:35 am
Angie@Angiesrecipes says:
It looks mouthwatering. Love the rectangular mould.
On February 23, 2012 at 5:52 am
MyLittleExpatKitchen says:
I adore clementines, and mandarins, they’re my favorite fruits of winter. This tart looks wonderful, Joumana.
I love that first photograph!
On February 23, 2012 at 7:26 am
5 Star Foodie says:
Such a decadent tart, the curd looks perfectly delicious!
On February 23, 2012 at 9:23 am
bergamot says:
This looks wonderful. I love citrusy flavours.
On February 23, 2012 at 9:32 am
Jeanne @ CookSister! says:
Oh look at the colour!! That looks fantastic – citrus fruits are my favourites 🙂
On February 23, 2012 at 10:04 am
Mariana says:
Wonderfully colorful and simply delicious! 🙂
On February 23, 2012 at 11:45 am
Juliana says:
Joumana, what a great idea making clementine curd…the tart looks delicious and very pretty.
Hope you are having a great week 🙂
On February 23, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Velva says:
So very pretty. Although citrus is at its peak now, clementine’s are still a speciality to locate.
The tart, no doubt is fabulous.
Velva
On February 23, 2012 at 5:38 pm
T.W. Barritt says:
I love the idea of a clementine tart – why not? There are all kinds of citrus curds – this is a particularly nice way to experience the flavors of clementines.
On February 23, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Jeannie says:
Your tart looks so scrumptious, I like the idea of adding saffron for a brighter color, yum!
On February 23, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Alaiyo Kiasi says:
I love clementines too, and I love the idea of making a tart with them. This is one beautiful dessert, and I am smitten!!!
On February 23, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Banana Wonder says:
What a glorious tart, and where on earth did you find such cute little mini tart tins?
On February 23, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Joumana says:
@Banana Wonder: In a supermarket in Beirut.
On February 23, 2012 at 11:53 pm
sare says:
Ending the orange- clementines seasons, It’s same inTurkiye. We can find lots of kinds of citrus.
They’re wonderful. I think the curd has sour taste, that’s wonderful for me…
On February 24, 2012 at 12:03 am
Mercotte says:
très réussie et très gourmande ta tarte, j’aime bien la forme aussi !
On February 24, 2012 at 12:16 am
s says:
i love the food styling/photography. seville oranges are just glorious and this is just the recipe one should use them for. x s
On February 24, 2012 at 7:25 am
Oui, Chef says:
Just the words clementine curd took my breath away, then your gorgeous photos stopped my heart. Awesome!
On February 24, 2012 at 8:38 am
Claudia says:
We are at the tail end of clementine season. This would be the perfect way to wrap things up – so sweetly.
On February 24, 2012 at 10:20 am
Devaki says:
This is one heck of a recipe Joumana – the clementine curd is just BRILLIANT!!! You bring me to my knees with this one and who can resist such a well laid table? LOVE your ideas 🙂
chow! Devaki@weavethousandflavors
On February 24, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Magic of Spice says:
That looks fantastic! I just made fresh clementine juice the other day, so delicious! Your beauties look much larger than ours here. I will have to try out this curd as well 🙂
On February 25, 2012 at 10:02 am
Kathy says:
Simply gorgeous! I’m sure it was delicious. I have just bookmarked this for the future.
On February 28, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Sandi says:
Hello…. Perfect timing that i saw this recipe! Since we’re barely at peak of season with clementines (here in California) I was already thinking of baking a citrus dessert for my husband’s work potluck. I would like to know, however, what size tart pan would be the largest that I can make this in? Also, what are the dimensions of the individual tart pans that you are showing….and how many did the recipe make?
Thank you! Looking forward to many more recipes!
p.s……I also printed the radish leaf soup… I’ll be making that this week!
On December 16, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Joumana says:
@Sandi: I went looking for the tartlet tins and I could not find them! I can safely say that they are 5″ by 3″ and the recipe will make 12. If you want to use a large pan then the crust should be fine for a 10″ by 15″ baking sheet. Of course it all depends on how thin you roll it! Good luck!
On the soup, it will also work if you add some cream instead of the yogurt.
On December 17, 2012 at 1:21 am
Gary says:
I am making this tart today, and I see (in the instructions for the curd) a reference to the zest of the clementines, but the amount of zest is not in the ingredients list. What amount of zest should I use?
On February 12, 2018 at 10:45 pm
Joumana Accad says:
Hello Gary, sorry about the zest! I remember I used about a tablespoon. Hope you like it!
On February 15, 2018 at 5:52 am