Blood Orange Custard Tart

This is the perfect tart to brighten up a dreary January or February day. I
decorated the tart with candied blood orange slices, an elegant touch for a
special occasion.
Serves 6-8

Method

For the pastry put the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt in the bowl of the
food processor and pulse for a few seconds. Add the cubed butter and pulse
again until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk with the
tablespoon of water and add to the bowl, making sure to distribute it around the
bowl, rather than pouring it onto one spot. Pulse again briefly to distribute the
moisture. Add a few more drops of water if required.

Taking the blade out first, I like to bring the clumps of dough together in the
bowl first with my hands, before transferring to a lightly floured work surface.
Knead lightly to get a consistent dough and shape into a small flat rectangle
shape. Wrap well in cling film and chill for at least half an hour.

Roll out the rested pastry, between two lengths of cling film, to the thickness of
a pound coin. Use the base of the tart tin as a guide. Line the greased tin with
the pastry, gently moulding the pastry to the fluted sides of the tin. Trim off any
excess pastry and keep to one side in case you need to patch up any cracks
later. Prick the base with a fork, cover and leave to rest in the fridge for another
30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 °C/180 °C fan/Gas mark 6. Place the baking sheet on the
middle shelf to preheat.

Meanwhile make the filling. In a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, cream and the
strained blood orange juice and whisk to combine. Pass through a sieve into a
measuring jug. Add the blood orange zest and mix well.

The pastry will be blind baked, this will prevent the filling from making the
pastry soggy. Scrunch up a sheet of baking paper and place this over the pastry,
lining the tin. Fill with baking beans, place on the preheated baking sheet and
bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and baking beans. Mix the
egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Gently brush the pastry with the beaten
egg yolk and return to the oven to bake for a further 5-6 minutes. Remove from
the oven.

Reduce the temperature to 140 °C /120 °C fan/Gas mark 1.

Whisk the filling briefly again. Once the temperature has adjusted, return the
tart tin to the oven. Pour the blood orange mixture into the pastry case and bake
for 35-45 minutes until the filling is just set, it should have a faint wobble.

Leave to cool on a wire rack. Carefully remove the tart from the tin and transfer
to a serving dish. Decorate with candied blood orange slices and serve.