I was aiming for a more natural incarnation of the orange and blue theme, and behold, mango curd tartlets with fresh whipped cream and blueberries were born. These were delicious, rich, tart, and creamy. The mango curd you could probably just eat out of a bowl with a spoon, but putting it in a nice compact little tart shell might make you feel better about yourself.
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Mango Curd Tartlets
- Total Time: 9 hours 20 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
These were delicious, rich, tart, and creamy. The mango curd you could probably just eat out of a bowl with a spoon, but putting it in a nice compact little tart shell might make you feel better about yourself.
Ingredients
Mango Curd:
- 1 – 15 ounce, very ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cubed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 4 large egg yolks
- pinch of salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Tart Shells:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 large egg yolk
Instructions
Curd:
- Place mango, sugar, lime juice, and salt in your food processor and blend until smooth. Add egg yolks and puree another 15 seconds. At this point, you can strain the mixture through a fine sieve and remove all the little mango bits, which in turn will make your curd much more translucent and shiny. I skipped this step. Why? Because I couldn’t find my strainer and it was 1:00 in the morning. Thats why. Still turned out wonderfully.
- Place the mixture in a medium metal or glass bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk puree constantly until temperature reaches 170 F and has thickened. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter one piece at a time. Let cool a little on the counter, then place in an air tight container and refrigerate at least overnight.
Shells:
- Place flour, sugar, and salt in food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle butter over flour and pulse until butter in in pea sized pieces. In a small bowl break up the egg yolk with a fork and pour over the flour-butter mixture. Pulse to combine, and increase your pulses to around 10-15 seconds until large clumps form. The mixture will be crumbly, but will stick together when you press it into the tart forms.
- Turn dough out onto your counter or a large cutting board and knead two or three times just to combine any stray dry bits. At this point you can press the dough into one large tart pan or you can get about 20-24 small 3-inch round tart shells out of this batch. Press the crumbles in gently to the tart molds, you want the dough to be able to bind together when cooking, but not press so hard that the lovely flaky layers get pulverized. Place filled tart molds in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake tart shells for 10-15 minutes, turning pan once halfway through, until they turn a light brown color. Feel free to press the bottoms of the shells down with the back of a spoon if they start to puff up during cooking. Let cool in molds then gently remove and let cool completely on wire rack.
- When shells are completely cooled, fill with 1-2 tablespoons mango curd and top with fresh whipped cream and a few fresh blueberries or blackberries (or really any other fresh fruit).
- Prep Time: 8 hours 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Baking
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know when the mango curd is thick enough?
Cook the curd over simmering water, whisking constantly, until it reaches 170°F and coats the back of a spoon — this takes 10-15 minutes. Run your finger across the back of the spoon; if the line holds cleanly, the curd is ready. Remove from heat immediately and whisk in the butter.
Can I make the mango curd ahead of time?
Yes — the curd must be refrigerated overnight before using. It needs to set fully before filling the tart shells. It keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, which makes it ideal for making ahead for parties. 
Why do the tart shells go in the freezer before baking?
Freezing the pressed-in dough for 15-30 minutes sets the butter in the pastry, which prevents it from shrinking and losing its shape during baking. Cold dough goes into a hot oven with better structural integrity — the shells come out cleaner and hold their edges.
Do I need to strain the mango puree before cooking the curd?
Straining through a fine sieve produces a translucent, glossy curd without mango fiber. It's a worthwhile step if you want a clean, smooth presentation. Skipping it leaves small mango bits in the curd — still delicious, but the texture is slightly more rustic and the color less bright.
Does anyone know whether I can refrigerate the dough over night? You can with most pie doughs, however this does not specify. I anyone could let me know as soon as possible it would be much appreciated! Thanks.
Yes, you can @Cedar! And sorry for the delay in response.
Very pretty to look at and the crust was very good. I used 4 ripe yellow mangoes and just 2 tablespoons lime juice. It tasted like a generic citrus curd. If I make again will substitute mango juice and forego any lime juice.
Thank you, lime and lemon can be over powering, so I’ll use your suggestion with a passion fruit juice. It should work, unless I find mango juice at the grocery.
Can I use frozen mango?
Frozen works. I’ve made the curd with frozen mango chunks, thawed and drained well first. The finished curd was slightly looser than when I used fresh ripe ones, so I kept it on the double-boiler a minute or two longer. Taste-wise you wouldn’t know.
Can I request the recipe in grams? As the measurement in cups have a lot variance.
I feel like I’ve been over-using this word lately in my comments, but this tart is just beautiful! I love tarts, and this is an exotic flavor that I may have to try. :)