Orange Passionfruit Curd Mini Tarts (Guest Post on Trissalicious)

Happy Year of the Rabbit! Though it isn't Chinese or even Asian at all, I do have something lovely to share with you today. Trissa of the always beautiful and mouth-watering blog, Trissalicious, has generously invited me to guest post. Please stop by her site to read all about my Orange Passionfruit Tartlets. A fun meeting of tangy and sweet fruits, creamy curd, and crunchy poppy seeds, these are tarts fancy enough for guests or as a special treat for yourself ^_^. You can also go straight to the recipe below. Thanks, Trissa, for sharing your amazing space with me.

Orange Passionfruit Curd Mini Tarts [Printable Recipe]
Makes six 4-inch mini tarts

XIAOLU'S NOTES: You can use any combination of citrus fruits that you want for the topping, really. I chose navel orange, blood orange, and cara cara oranges. Practically all components of this recipe can be prepared in advance, leaving only minor assembly to be done the day you want to serve the tarts.

Poppy Seed Mini Tart Shells (Recipe Below)
Passionfruit Curd (Recipe Below)
3 assorted citrus fruits, ends and peel sliced off and sectioned

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) at least 15 minutes before baking. Smoothly fill the prebaked tart shells with passionfruit curd and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. The filling shouldn't change color and should barely jiggle when the pan is moved. Transfer tarts to a rack to cool.

Once the tarts have completely cooled, transfer to the refrigerator and chill until set (at least 2 hours). Once set, arrange several citrus segments decoratively atop each tart. Then remove tarts from their pans and enjoy!

Poppy Seed Mini Tart Shells
1 1/3 cups (6.5 oz.) bleached all purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 Tbsp ice water
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a large bowl, then add poppy seeds and stir until evenly distributed. Cut the butter into small pieces. Mix the butter into the flour by using a pastry scraper to cut in the butter and fully incorporate it into the flour mixture. You can also use your fingers, but if you do you must do it quickly. Once the dough has the texture of fine sand, freeze the bowl for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from freezer, then create a well in the center. Whisk the water, vinegar, and egg white together in a small bowl, then add to the center of the well (you can do this in batches depending on the size of your well). Slowly incorporate the flour into the center. Once most of the flour has been incorporated you can start using your hands. Knead the dough and form a round ball of dough. At this point, transfer a small handful of the dough to a marble, non-stick silicone, or parchment paper surface and, using the heel of your hand, smear it out completely onto the surface. This process makes sure that the butter is fully incorporated, and helps bring the dough together. Re-form the smeared piece of dough and move it to a far corner of the surface. Repeat with the rest of the dough, then press all the portions of dough into a single disc and wrap twice in plastic wrap. Let rest in the fridge for at least 45 minutes and up to several days.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and let warm to a cool room temperature. Roll dough out to 1/8 to 1/16-inch thickness. Cut out 5 1/2-inch circles of dough and press each of these into a mini tart pan. Prick the bottoms of the dough all over with a fork. Cover and freeze for at least 10 minutes and up to a day before baking.

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Cover tart pans with foil OR parchment paper and weigh down using dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, and remove the beans and parchment. Press down lightly with a spoon on any areas of the crusts that have puffed up while baking. Return to the oven for 5 minutes more or until lightly golden. Remove from oven.

Passionfruit Curd
Makes about 2 cups

2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch, sifted
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup passionfruit puree OR juice from about 6 fruits, divided
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 1 small orange)
1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a heavy non-reactive saucepan, beat the eggs, yolks, cornstarch, and sugar until well blended. Stir in 7 tablespoons (reserve 1 tablespoon for later) passionfruit puree, orange juice, the zests, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the sides of the pan, until mixture comes to a boil. Let boil 1 to 2 minutes. Mixture will change from translucent to opaque.

Once curd has boiled 1 to 2 minutes, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla until smooth. Press curd through a strainer suspended over a medium bowl to remove any potential lumps. Add remaining tablespoon of passionfruit puree to the bowl and stir thoroughly; allow to cool. Curd can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.