Rice Pudding Tarts with Blood Oranges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place six 4-inch tart rings on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat (a French nonstick baking mat) or parchment paper. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pate sucree to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out six 6-inch circles of dough with a sharp paring knife, using an overturned 6-inch bowl as a guide if necessary. Press dough into tart rings; trim excess with a sharp knife. Dock tart shells by piercing the bottom all over with a fork. Transfer to the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

Cut out six 6-inch parchment paper circles, and line rings; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and carefully remove parchment and beans. Return to oven, and continue baking until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Carefully remove tart shells from tart rings, and set aside.

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

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add rice, and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain well, and return to saucepan. Add milk, zest, vanilla bean and scrapings, salt, and sugar; cook at a gentle simmer over medium heat, 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.

In a large bowl, whisk together heavy cream, 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 for 5 minutes (keep in mind that rice pudding will continue to thicken even after cooking). Pour filling into baked tart shells. Arrange orange segments in a floral pattern over rice pudding, and serve.