And her sweet red lips on these lips of mine
Burned like the ruby fire set
In the swinging lamp of a crimson shrine,
Or the bleeding wounds of the pomegranate,
Or the heart of the lotus drenched and wet
With the spilt-out blood of the rose-red wine.

– Oscar Wilde, “In the Gold Room – A Harmony.”

Two posts on pomegranates in a row but I couldn’t resist. Not while these beautiful fruits are in season, and not with Thanksgiving around the corner. (And I love working with the arils – they’re like little jewels.) Speaking of fall fruits, I’ve been having some fun with quince, too, which I hope to post on soon.

Not All Curds Are Equal

Pomegranates don’t set up in a curd as easily as other fruits, so it’s not just a matter of using your favorite go-to lemon curd recipe and substituting. I was torn between using gelatin or cornstarch and decided to go with the latter.

Tips

• The lemon juice, cornstarch, and greater number of egg yolks, all help the custard set up. Gelatin sheets could be used instead of the cornstarch. This is a still a loose curd and refrigeration for a few hours might help it set, as well.
• Pomegranate curd tends to lose its vibrant red and becomes more of a mauve or pink color after cooking. You can add a drop or two of red food coloring after sieving the curd to deepen the color, but even better is to grind dried hibiscus flowers with your sugar, or use a hibiscus tea, or a spiced tea that includes hibiscus, when infusing your butter.
• Though the infused butter adds wonderful flavor, you can skip that step if desired. The chocolate ganache is also optional.

The Steps

• Make the tart dough and chill it.
• Infuse the butter with tea, then chill it.
• Roll out the tarts and blind bake the shells.
• Make the curd.
• Fill the shells and chill the filled tarts.
• Make the ganache (optional).
• Decorate and serve.

Reality Bakes

One of my pomegranates was rotten and had to be thrown away. Hate it when that happens. Otherwise it was smooth sailing.

Print Pin

Pomegranate Curd and Orange Tarts

Chocolate tart shells filled with pomegranate curd and orange-infused butter, these beautiful little tarts are rich with the flavors and colors of fall.

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Chilling Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 tartlets, or one 9-inch tart

Author Jen Leigh; tart shell by Alain Ducasse

Ingredients

Tart Shell

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 large egg

Pomegranate Curd

• 7 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp orange or orange-spice loose tea, about 2 to 3 teabags
• 1 cup fresh pomegranate juice
• Zest and of one lemon
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 egg yolks, well beaten with the whole egg
• 1 whole egg, well beaten with the egg yolks
• 1/4 tsp fine salt, preferably sea salt
• 1 to 2 drops of red food coloring (optional)
• Pomegranate arils and orange zest, for garnish

Chocolate Ganache (optional)

• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Zest of one orange

Instructions

Tart Shell

• Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, blend AP flour with the butter, sugar, cocoa, almond flour, and salt, on medium speed. Add the egg and mix just until a soft dough forms.
• Tip the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disk. Wrap the dough in the plastic and freeze for 15 minutes, until firm.
• Remove the dough from freezer and let sit for 5 minutes to soften slightly. Cut into six equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate all but one ball.
• Working one at a time, roll out each ball into a six-inch circle between layers of plastic wrap. Carefully transfer the rolled out dough to a mini tart pan. Ease dough into the corners and press gently against the sides of the pan. Run the rolling pin over the top of the tart pan to remove excess dough and use scraps to patch any tears.
• Continue with the other tarts, then freeze all in their pans for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Set the tarts on a baking sheet and line each shell with foil or parchment squares. Fill with pie weights (rice, beans, ceramic beads, or whatever you use). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until foil doesn’t stick to crusts. Remove the liners and weights and bake until the shell is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes longer.
• Transfer to rack and let cool.

Pomegranate Curd

• Melt butter over low heat and add the orange or orange-spice tea. Simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and let steep another five minutes.
• Strain infused butter through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the tea with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate infused butter, or set aside, until it solidifies again.
• Whisk together the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, lemon zest and cornstarch in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir gently until it dissolves.
• Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the beaten eggs and yolks, salt, and infused butter.*
• Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 170°F or thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. The curd may be more of a pink or mauve color – you can add a drop or two of red food coloring to deepen the color, if desired. Or use a spiced tea that includes dried hibiscus, which will help preserve the natural pomegranate red.
• Pour the pomegranate curd into the prepared tart shells and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Chill the tarts in the refrigerator for one hour to firm up.
• Garnish with pomegranate arils and orange zest, or drizzle with ganache.

Chocolate Ganache (optional)

• Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
• In a saucepan, heat heavy cream and orange zest to piping hot. When barely boiling, pour cream through a sieve over the chopped chocolate and let sit for one minute. Gently stir from the center in circles, moving towards the sides, with a rubber spatula, until mixture is emulsified and chocolate is melted, about two minutes. Let cool.
• When tarts and chocolate are both cool, drizzle or otherwise decorate with the ganache and pomegranate arils.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, curd, oranges, pomegranates

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