Kumquat Tart

Yogurt Pastry Cream

73 g  honey

14 g cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

318 g plain whole-milk yogurt

38 g or 2 large egg yolks

28 g unsalted butter

1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)

 

Set up a fine mesh strainer over a heat proof container. In a medium saucepan, combine honey, cornstarch, salt, yogurt, and yolks. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. It’s important to use gentle heat and stir constantly so that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. Normally you would temper the eggs into the pastry cream, but because we’re using yogurt and I hate extra dishes, I prefer to carefully do everything in one pot. Once the mixtures thickens and boils with large sluggish bubbles, continue stirring and cooking for one more minute to ensure the cornstarch is cooked. Pass the mixture through the strainer, cover with plastic wrap (right up against the cream to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate until completely cool.

Candied Kumquats

kumquats

simple syrup

Slice the kumquats into coins and remove any seeds. Add kumquats to a pot with enough simple syrup to just barely cover. Bring to a simmer and let cook until the kumquats are tender and translucent.  Drains the kumquats and lay them out in a single layer over a towel to remove excess syrup. Save the leftover cooking syrup and use it to soak a cake or make cocktails!

 

Tart Crust

For the crust I actually just used leftover sugar cookie dough! You could use any sweet pastry dough. I pressed the dough into a 14 x 4.5 inch rectangular pan with a removable bottom. The crust should be completely baked golden brown and cooled before filling.

 

Assembly

Whip the cooled pastry cream until it’s nice and creamy, then spread into the baked tart crust. Lay the kumquats across the pastry cream in a single layer. Enjoy!