These decadent chocolate and blood orange curd tarts are an incredible dessert for anyone who loves chocolate! The classic pairing of dark chocolate and orange is a match made in heaven: the rich, intense chocolate flavor is balanced perfectly with the fresh, zesty, citrus flavor.
For those of us who do not like super sweet desserts, these little tarts are a happy medium. Light and airy puff pastry is filled with an incredibly flavorful chocolate mixture and then topped off with a refreshing blood orange curd. This recipe is so good!
The three components of the chocolate and blood orange curd tarts
This elegant dessert might look challenging, but it is not if you break it into its three basic components:
- The tart shells
- The chocolate filling
- The orange curd topping
You can make parts of the recipe ahead of time, i.e., forming and baking the puff pastry shells and making the blood orange curd. After that, all you have to do is whip up the the chocolate filling, bake the tarts, and top them with the blood orange curd. As a matter of fact, you can make the whole recipe in the morning and enjoy it later that evening!
Let’s look closer at the three parts of the recipe:
First, make the Blood Orange Curd
This is an easy recipe to follow and a great technique to master: it only requires oranges, sugar, eggs and butter.
Besides using the orange curd in this recipe, you can also use it in so many other preparations such as a topping to scones, crêpes, pancakes or waffles, a spread over toasted bread, a stir-in with yogurt, a filling between layers of a good yellow cake, or, as a layer in a trifle.
Second, make the puff pastry tart shells
Using puff pastry as a tart shell is a huge time saver. All you have to do is open a box of defrosted puff pastry, unfold it, lightly roll it out, and cut four circles out of it. Make sure you use a good quality puff pastry and one that is made with butter, like the Fillo Factory organic puff pastry that I am using for this recipe.
Prick the center of the tarts with a fork before chilling
After chilling, line the tarts with parchment paper and then top with ceramic weights (or simply use beans) before baking
Third, bake the tarts with the simple chocolate filling
Once the tarts cool, all you have to do is top them with the blood orange curd. You can drizzle some on top, or, cover the chocolate layer generously with it. Serve at once or put it aside and save for later!
Whether you want to make something special for St. Valentine’s Day this Sunday, or, just feel like treating yourselves to a truly delectable chocolate dessert, I hope you do make these chocolate and blood orange tarts soon. You are in for a big treat!
- 1 --- sheet of all-butter puff pastry, (like, Fillo Factory), 9”x 9”, defrosted
- 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 4 oz. cold butter (1 stick)
- 3 TBSP. sugar
- 1 lrg. egg
- 2 lrg. egg yolks
- ¾ cup blood orange curd (see separate recipe)
- Open the puff pastry package, take out one piece, and return the second piece to the refrigerator. Place the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, unroll it, and sprinkle it with some more flour. Lightly roll it out into a 12” square. From this, cut out four circles; each about 6” in diameter. Lift each circle and carefully line four, 4½” mini tart pans. Prick the bottom of the puff pastry all over with a fork. Place the tart pans on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400º F.
- While the crust is cooling, melt the chocolate and the butter over a double boiler. Cool slightly. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, the egg yolks, and the sugar, then whisk them into the chocolate mixture until velvety smooth.
- Remove the tart pans from the refrigerator. Line the tart shells with square pieces of parchment paper, add some ceramic weights, and blind bake them for about 10 minutes. If you don’t have ceramic pie weights, use some dry beans. Remove from the oven and fill the crusts two-thirds of the way up with the chocolate mixture (you will have some chocolate mixture left over, which can be frozen for another day). Bake them for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Once completely cooled, spread the orange curd over the chocolate in as thick a layer as desired and serve!
Optional: Decorate the top of the tarts with candied blood orange slices!
How to make Blood Orange Curd
- 1 TBSP. finely grated orange zest (use unwaxed oranges if possible)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 2 large eggs, (as fresh as possible)
- 2 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- 6 TBSP. (3oz) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- Simmer the orange juice in a small saucepan until it is reduced to ½ cup (this will intensify the flavor). Remove from the heat, stir in the orange zest and set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bottom pot of a double boiler, put about an inch of water over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer.
- In the top pot--and off the heat--whisk together the eggs, the egg yolks, and the sugar until the mixture is smooth. Then whisk in the reduced orange juice with the zest. Now place the top pot with the mixture over the bottom pot with the simmering water. The top should fit snugly and should not touch the water. Whisking constantly, cook the egg and orange mixture until the curd has thickened and it has reached a temperature of about 174°F. The curd should have the consistency of mayonnaise. This step will take about 12 minutes, although it might take longer depending on the size of the pot and the intensity of the heat.
- Remove the bowl from heat and stir in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until it is melted (the butter will stop the cooking and will make the curd smooth and velvety).
- If you prefer to leave the orange zest out of the final product, you can strain the orange curd through a fine sieve into a jar for storage. Chill the curd for at least 2 hours before using.
The curd can be made up to 3 days in advance and it can be stored in the freezer for up to two months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using it.
Some ideas for use:
• Serve with scones, crêpes, pancakes and waffles
• Spread over toasted bread
• Stir into a bowl with yogurt
• Use as a cake filling for a yellow cake
• Layer it in a trifle
This recipe is a collaboration with Fillo Factory. You can find their all-butter organic puff pastry and of course, their filo pastry at many grocery stores, including Wegman’s and Whole Foods!
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These look super yummy, Marilena! I can’t wait to try them!
Thank you so much Sara! The chocolate-orange pairing is so delicious! I hope you are doing well!
Wow, these photographs are stunning!
Aww, thank you so much, I am so glad you like my photography!
Wow! this looks so beautiful and sounds awesome! Great job! I’ve got to try this and just in time for Valentines’s Day!
Thanks Kathy! I hope you give it a try and that you like these little tartlets!