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–+ servings
citrus tart with three slices laying next to it, a cake knife, white napkin, glass, and bowl of citrus slices

Winter Citrus Tart

5 from 6 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
Refrigeration Time 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
Author: Traci Crossland
Bright citrus flavors meet a silky smooth pastry cream in this delicious Winter Citrus Tart! Made with simple ingredients, this tart is the perfect bake all year long.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ⅓ teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅝ cup salted butter, sliced
  • 1 large egg + 1 yolk
  • ½ cup almond meal

Filling

  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 4 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 6 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • ½ teaspoon orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon grapefruit zest
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Crust

  • In a medium bowl, sift together flour, powdered sugar, and baking powder.
  • Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles corn meal.
  • Mix in egg and yolk, working until it forms a rough dough.
  • Add almond flour and knead until it forms a smooth dough.
  • On a piece of parchment paper, roll dough out to 1/4" thickness.
  • Place in a 9-inch tart pan, fitting dough evenly down into pan.
  • Press bottom and sides lightly to ensure dough is filling whole pan.
  • Using a sharp knife, or the edge of the pan, trim excess crust.
  • Prick dough all over the bottom with a fork.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  • While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Remove dough from refrigerator and bake for 12 minutes, just until it's starting to brown on the edges.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Filling

  • Combine egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
  • Stir gently to mix, being careful not to incorporate any air. Set aside.
  • In a heavy sauce pan, bring milk, cream, remaining sugar, and vanilla bean to a boil.
  • Pour one third of milk mixture into egg mixture, stirring constantly.
  • Return to sauce pan over medium low heat.
  • Add zests.
  • Stir continuously.
  • When mixture starts to thicken, switch to a whisk and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
  • Turn off heat and whisk in butter.
  • Remove vanilla bean.
  • Pour into a flat pan and cover immediately with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the top of the pastry cream.
  • Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or until cool.

Putting It Together

  • Remove tart shell from pan.
  • Pipe pastry cream into shell.
  • Top as desired.

Notes

  • The real secret to this tart and making sure everything is at the right temperature. Nothing more. Nothing less. It sounds so simple, but it truly makes all the difference in a recipe like this! We highly recommend checking to make sure your oven temperature is accurate and having a thermometer.
  • When the custard starts to thicken, don't panic! Let it keep cooking for 2 minutes afterwards. It should be very thick before stirring in the butter.
  • Make sure you get all the butter incorporated!
  • The crust doesn't need to be overly browned. Just lightly browned. Keep an eye on it!
  • Rolling the dough out is the best and easiest way to get an even crust.
  • Any citrus can be used for this recipe.
  • Make sure your tart pan has a removable bottom!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 444kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 8gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 194mgSodium: 134mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 863IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.