Lusciously tart and sweet, these Blood Orange Meringue Tarts feature delicious blood orange curd and toasted Italian meringue in a buttery flakey crust!
Blood oranges have been on my dessert bucket list for quite some time. I’ve always been so fascinated by their naturally deep, rich, and vibrant hue. However, they have a much shorter season than regular oranges, making it difficult to get ahold of these ruby red citrus gems.
This year, on the other hand, I was FINALLY able to get my hands on the long-awaited blood orange…
Why You’ll LOVE These Blood Orange Meringue Tarts
Luscious Blood Orange Curd: If you thought lemon curd was heavenly, wait until you try blood orange curd. It has a similar tartness to lemon curd, but with prominent raspberry or berry-like notes. Blood oranges have a sweeter and more complex flavor compared to regular oranges, and they’re much more fragrant.
The Fluffiest Italian Meringue: There’s no beating the fluff factor of Italian meringue. Not only is it extra fluffy and impressively voluminous, but it feels like you’re biting into a cloud.
Golden Flakey Crust: The crust is so perfectly flakey and buttery. When you pair this with the blood orange curd and creamy Italian meringue, you get the perfect collision of blissful flavors and textures.
Tips For Making Blood Orange Curd
Reduce the Juice: In order to really infuse these tarts with blood orange flavor, I reduced the blood orange juice to concentrate the flavor. To do this, I juiced enough oranges to equal one cup of juice, then I simmered the juice in a saucepan on medium-low heat until it reduced by half. This can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
Don’t Let the Zest go to Waste: Blood orange zest is a great way to add intense, highly-concentrated flavor to the blood orange curd without watering it down or thinning it out. It also imparts a more aromatic and floral flavor that you can’t get from juice alone. Make sure to zest a tablespoonful of zest BEFORE slicing into and juicing the oranges.
Add a Bit of Lemon Juice: Adding just a tablespoon of lemon juice really helps to enhance the flavor of the blood oranges. Without it, the curd is a little bland, so the tart contrast of the citric acid amplifies the sweetness of the blood oranges.
Use Mostly Yolks: To achieve that richer and thicker curd, you’ll need to use a lot of egg yolks. In this case, you’ll need seven egg yolks and one whole egg. That might sound like a lot of yolks, but having a much higher ratio of egg yolks to whole eggs results in a curd that’s more stable, velvety, and decadent. It’s also less eggy, thanks to the reduction of egg whites which contain sulfur compounds.
Cook Low and Slow: To prevent any cooked bits of egg from forming, heat the curd over low or medium-low heat, while whisking constantly. If the curd is left unattended on the stove, it could cook unevenly, potentially scrambling the eggs. It doesn’t take long for the curd to thicken. Once the curd coats the back of a wooden spoon and you can run your finger through it, leaving a clean, lasting line, it’s done. If measuring the temperature, the curd should be between 170ºF and 175ºF.
Strain the Curd: Even if you followed the tip above, it’s still a good precaution to strain the curd after it’s done cooking. This step not only ensures an extra smooth and velvety texture, but it also removes the bits of zest and any tiny bits of cooked egg.
Tips For Making Italian Meringue
Use Room Temperature Egg Whites: As opposed to cold egg whites, room temperature egg whites whip up much quicker. And if that wasn’t enough to convince you, allowing your egg whites to sit out at room temperature for just 20-30 minutes yields a fluffier and more voluminous meringue. That’s because they hold air better than cold egg whites.
Pour the Hot Sugar Syrup SLOW and STEADY: Whatever you do, do not just dump all of the sugar syrup into the beaten egg whites. This will cook and deflate the egg whites, and there’s no way to fix it. Instead, pour the hot sugar syrup in a slow, steady, and even stream while the mixer is on medium-high. Try to avoid the whisk, or else the syrup will fling to the sides of the bowl, rather than being incorporated into the egg whites. Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the mixer to high.
Add a Little Cream of Tartar: This ingredient stabilizes and strengthens the air bubbles in the egg whites, preventing the protein structure from breaking down. This allows for stiffer, more durable peaks to form. Although Italian meringue is already very stable thanks to the addition of hot sugar syrup, cream of tartar provides added insurance. If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can substitute it with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, which also works as a good stabilizer for meringue.
What if I reduced too much of the blood orange juice?
If you accidentally simmered the juice for too long and end up with less than a 1/2 cup, simply add enough blood orange juice to equal 1/2 cup.
Do these tarts freeze well?
Yes, they do! However, due to the Italian meringue, I wouldn’t keep them in the freezer for longer than a month. Once you’ve toasted the meringue with a kitchen torch, seal them in an airtight containers, and place them in the freezer.
Blood Orange Meringue Tarts
Ingredients
Pie Dough:
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cold
Blood Orange Curd:
- 1 cup freshly-squeezed blood orange juice*
- 7 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon blood orange zest
- ⅛ teaspoon of salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces
Meringue:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Pie Dough:
- In a small bowl, combine the water and sour cream; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar and salt together. Scatter the shortening over the flour, then use a cheese grater to grate the butter on top. Using a fork or a pastry blender, cut the mixture together until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the sour cream mixture and use a stiff rubber spatula to stir and press the dough together until it forms one big mound. If dough is still too dry and doesn’t hold together, add another tablespoon of water.
- Place dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a 5-inch disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Make the Tart Shells:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Let the chilled dough sit on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling.
- Place eight 4-inch diameter mini tart pans onto a baking sheet.
- On a lightly-floured work surface, roll out the chilled dough until it's about 1/8" thick. Place the rim of a bowl or a circular object with a 5-inch diameter on top of the dough, and use a knife to trace/cut around it.
- Press the dough circle into the tart pan and use your rolling pin to roll over the top edges of the pan to cut the excess dough off. Re-roll the scraps for the rest of your tart shells.
- Use a fork to prick holes evenly along the bottom of each tart shell. Gently form a piece of aluminum foil into the tart shells and fill with pie weights or uncooked beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Allow the tart shells to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the tart pans to cool completely.
Make the Blood Orange Curd:
- Heat the blood orange juice in a small saucepan until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the juice to simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until reduced by half. You should have 1/2 cup of juice.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar together until just combined. Whisk in the blood orange juice, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 4-8 minutes minutes.
- Immediately strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium-size bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming, and allow to cool completely.
- Once the curd has cooled to about room temperature, divide it evenly among the tart shells. Chill the tarts in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight until set.
Make the Meringue:
- Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a large mixing bowl and a beater), and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Pour the sugar and water into a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until it reaches 240ºF. This usually takes about 5 to 6 minutes from the time it begins to boil. Immediately pour the hot sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream into the egg whites, with the mixer running on medium speed; try to avoid hitting the whisk.
- Once all the sugar syrup has been added, add the cream of tartar and vanilla. Continue beating the meringue on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes, or until it’s cooled to room temperature and glossy peaks form.
- Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the meringue on top of the blood orange curd. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue just before serving.
Notes