By Elizabeth Stark
Grapefruit can be confusing because what does it have to do with grapes? You can stay up nights wondering about that, be tired all day, and let it ruin your life. Or you can accept that it doesn’t make sense and just appreciate the grapefruit for the wonderful things you can make with it–like breakfast in the 80s or this fantastic, fresh grapefruit tart.
The grapefruit curd you make for this is sweet and delicious and the grapefruit slices provide a nice contrast. The crust is buttery and delicate, but not so delicate that it doesn’t hold together well. As an added bonus, this recipe makes way more curd than you need and the extra is wonderful as a spread on toast for a sweet breakfast treat.
And, just so you know, it’s called grapefruit because of the way the fruits are bunched when they’re on the tree.
Some more interesting posts:
Pink Grapefruit and Mango Salsa
Grapefruit Cardamon Tart
Ingredients:
for the tart shell
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons cold butter
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
for the filling
- 6 tablespoons butter
- zest of 1 grapefruit
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
- 2 eggs plus 2 yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cardamon pods
- dash of salt
Directions:
- Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of your food processor, and pulse 3 times to combine. Cut the butter into 1″ chunks, drop in to the food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times until the dough has a sandy texture. Slowly drizzle in the ice water and pulse 3 times, just until combined. You can also mix the flour by hand, and cut in the butter with a pastry knife or blender, and then mix in the water just until combined.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Form into a round, 6″ disc, wrap the round in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into an 12″ round on a lightly floured surface. Gently fold the dough circle up and press it into a greased tart pan. Fold excess dough into the sides of the tart. Be sure to build up the sides and corners so they are tall and strong.
- Chill the tart shell for 15 minutes. Prick the crust all over with a fork. Place the shell on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is a light golden color. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, zests, and grapefruit juice over medium-low heat. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, cardamom, and salt together. Once the butter and juice mixture is warm and starting to steam, add 3 or so ladlefuls to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk all of the warm liquid into the yolks to temper, and then pour everything back into the saucepan. Stir over low heat for 7-10 minutes, until warm and slightly frothy. Uncooked egg whites make my mouth itchy, so I tend to push the cooking time.
- Put the tart shell on a rimmed cookie sheet and gently ladle in about half of the curd. Pour your leftover curd into a jar and store in the refrigerator. Curd is wonderful on toast! Place 5 thin slices of grapefruit over the top. Bake until the curd is set, 8-12 minutes.
- Cool for 20 minutes and serve. Keep any leftovers well covered in the refrigerator for a few days.
