As I’m a shy introvert, moving to a new city and building community from scratch is akin to swimming with sharks. I’ve muddled my way through many a happy hour and, in spite of my particular cocktail of awkwardness and quirk, I’ve collected a congenial cohort of chums! My preferred drinks are ones that are smoky, spicy, sour, and a tinge sweet: elements I’ve infused into this tart as an ode to the lovely people that round out my crew. Cheers!
Please note that this recipe requires an overnight step before assembly!
1 fully baked Basic Tart Pastry Shell
BLOOD ORANGE CHIPOTLE CURD
2 cups (473 milliliters) fresh blood orange juice, from about 15 oranges, plus the zest of 1 blood orange
1 ounce (28 grams) whole dried chipotle peppers (3 to 6 peppers)
½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
6 tablespoons (¾ stick/85 grams) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ tablespoon mezcal (optional)
PREPARE A DAY AHEAD
1. Combine the blood orange juice (reserve the zest in the refrigerator for the next day) and chipotle peppers in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the juice to a boil, turn down the heat to medium-low, and cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (177 milliliters) liquid, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool, cover, and steep the peppers in the orange juice overnight in the refrigerator.
DAY OF
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Strain the reduced juice into a small saucepan. Rinse and dry the peppers, place them in a sealed container, and reserve in the refrigerator for a future use.
4. Add the sugar, salt, orange zest, eggs, and egg yolks to the saucepan and whisk to combine well. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture has warmed through. Add the butter gradually and stir until all the cubes have melted. Continue cooking until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spatula, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the corners of the saucepan. Remove from the heat. If using, whisk in the mezcal.
5. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve.
6. Keep the baked tart shell in the tart pan and place on a baking sheet. Pour the curd into the tart shell and smooth the surface.
7. Bake the tart for 5 minutes, just to set the filling.
8. Cool completely before decorating.
MANGO SPARK DESIGN PROCESS
1 firm mango
1 tablespoon chile lime salt, such as Tajín (optional)
Chef’s knife
Paring knife
1. Peel the mango and cut it into ¼-inch slices. Stand over the sink and gnaw the remaining flesh off the seed with abandon, then wash your face and proceed with the recipe.
2. Cut an assortment of skinny triangles from the mango slices and arrange them in a single layer on a plate. If using, sprinkle a handful of pieces with the chile lime salt.
3. Using a toothpick or the point of your knife, lightly mark the center of the tart for reference. Place approximately 7 mango sparks, inserting chile-dusted sparks as desired, radiating around the center point. The apexes should be touching in the center and the triangles otherwise spaced evenly.
4. Insert mango sparks into the gaps between the first ring of triangles. The spark apexes should be offset from the center point, and the triangles should not touch. Randomly add chile-dusted sparks between the plain sparks.
5. Continue working your way outward on the tart surface by inserting mango into the spaces in between. As you reach the outermost edge of the tart, trim the mango sparks to fit.
6. Keep the tart in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If not serving the same day, cover lightly with plastic to prevent the mango sparks from drying out. This tart is best consumed within 2 days.
SUGGESTED SUBSTITUTIONS
Crust alternatives: Coconut Pecan Crust, Chocolate Tart Pastry Shell
Filling alternatives: Cara Cara oranges, grapefruit (increase the sugar to 1 cup/198 grams)
Topping alternatives: Papaya, pineapple, kiwi