Move rice pudding out of the bowl and into crisp tartlet shells; top each with juicy, ruby red blood-orange segments. The filling is flavored with vanilla bean and blood-orange juice. The tarts can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled for an afternoon tea or as a delicious final course after dinner. Arrange the blood-orange sections in a floral pattern, then drizzle the tarts with extra juice.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 6

　　All-purpose flour, for dusting

　　Pâte Sucrée (page 333)

　　4 blood oranges

　　1 cup Arborio rice

　　4 cups milk

　　1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped

　　Pinch of salt

　　1/2 cup sugar

　　1 cup heavy cream

　　2 large egg yolks

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place six 4-inch tart rings on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

　　

Step 2

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut out six 6-inch rounds, and press dough into tart rings. Trim excess dough flush with rims. Pierce bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Line rings with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights; continue baking until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

　　

Step 4

Finely grate zest of 1 blood orange. Cut ends off all 4 oranges, and remove peel and pith with a paring knife, following curve of fruit. Working over a bowl to catch juices, slice between membranes to remove segments, being careful to leave them whole. Transfer to a bowl. Squeeze membranes to extract as much juice as possible; reserve 1/4 cup juice.

　　

Step 5

In a medium saucepan, bring rice, milk, zest, vanilla bean and seeds, salt, and sugar to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat, and discard vanilla bean.

　　

Step 6

In a large bowl, whisk together cream, egg yolks, and reserved 1/4 cup orange juice. Gradually whisk in rice mixture, and return to saucepan. Place pan over medium-low heat; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Pour filling into baked tart shells. Arrange orange segments in a floral pattern over rice pudding, and drizzle with juice from bowl. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

　　Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts