Candied Kumquat and Custard Tarts Recipe ~ Barley & Sage (2024)

This candied kumquat and custard tart has creamy vanilla custard filling, a crunchy butter cookie crust, and is topped with bright candied kumquats!

Ingredient Notes

• Kumquats - Kumquats are a cute little citrus fruit that look like a grape-sized orange. They are super sour and the flavor is kind of like a cross between a lime and orange. Most grocery stores will carry them during the winter citrus months!
• Petit Beurre or Butter Keks - These are basically just European butter cookies! They're light, crispy, and buttery and make the perfect crust for a tart!! You can find them in the international aisle at your local grocery store and online. However, crushed graham crackers will also work.
• Almond Flour - The almond flour helps bind the cookie crust a bit and adds extra nutty flavor!
• Vanilla Bean Paste - I prefer to use vanilla bean paste in my custard recipes because it has a much stronger, richer flavor! However, you can easily substitute pure vanilla extract.

How to Make Candied Kumquats

Candied kumquats are super easy to make and so tasty! All you need is water, sugar, and sliced kumquats (you can also do this with any citrus).

Thinly slice the kumquats and remove the seeds.

Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and blanch the kumquats for 1 minute and then transfer them to an ice bath to cool. This step helps maintain that vibrant orange color.

In a large pot, bring the water and sugar to a simmer. When the sugar is fully dissolved, add the kumquat slices and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the rinds are soft and slightly translucent.

Remove the kumquat slices and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Tip: Use the leftover simple syrup for co*cktails! The kumquats infuse some of their flavor into the syrup which would make for a fun kumquat margarita or Tom Collins!

How to Make Custard Tarts

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Pulse the petit beurre cookies in a food processor until you have about 1 ½ cups of crumbs.

In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, almond flour, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Mix until it resembles wet sand.

Press the mixture into the bottom of the mini tart pans and slightly up the sides. Make sure it is tight and compact! You can use the bottom of a flat measuring cup to help pack down the crust.

Bake the crust at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until it's lightly golden brown and looks dried out.

Let cool to room temperature before filling.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until smooth and set aside.

Scald the milk in a large pot on the stove top over medium heat (or in the microwave), until it is almost boiling.

In a large sauce pan, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.

Over medium-low heat, slowly add in the milk about ½ cup at a time while whisking constantly.

As the filling begins to thicken, add in another ½ cup of milk and continue whisking.

Once all of the milk is added and the filling has thickened (enough the coat the back of a spoon), remove the pot from the heat.

Pour about ½ cup of the filling into a glass measuring cup and then slowly drizzle it into the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly until fully combined and smooth.

Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the rest of the filling cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the filling has thickened to a pudding consistency.

Stir in the butter and vanilla extract until smooth.

Pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps.

Cool the filling almost to room temperature, stirring occasionally, before pouring into your cooled tart shell. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight (at least 3 hours) to let the filling set.

Once the filling is completely set, top with candied kumquats and enjoy!

Tart Making Tips

The most important step in making the custard is tempering the eggs. I know that sounds scary, but I promise it's not that hard! Tempering just means that you'll slowly add a small amount of hot liquid to the beaten eggs so that the temperature rises slowly and they don't scramble (trust me, you don't want scrambled eggs in your custard!

Once the filling mixture is scalding hot, you'll remove about ¼ cup and place it into a glass measuring cup (the best for pouring hot liquid) and then slowly drizzle the syrup into the beaten eggs while whisking. Then you'll add the warm egg mixture back into the rest of the custard. Easy peasy!

This recipe can be used to make a few different sizes of tart!

• 1 - 9.5 inch tart
• 2 - 7 inch tarts
• 5 - miniature tarts

If you don't want to make the butter cookie crust, you can also use a classic pie crust recipe! Use ½ of my perfect pie crust to fill a 9.5 inch tart pan!

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