I stumbled on this combination of flavors while working on an entirely different dessert recipe for a restaurant where I have a sometime internship doing pastry work. I was testing out making individual buttermilk pudding cakes, and needed something somewhat seasonal to top them with. Citrus seemed like the obvious choice, and while searching for a recipe for some sort of citrus salad, I came across one for citrus in star anise syrup. I tried it out with the cakes and fell in love with the pairing. That same night I came home to find the newly posted theme to this week’s contest, and knew I wanted to revisit the combination. <br /> <br />The crust is my favorite pastry crust recipe. Not only does it have a wonderfully crisp texture and rich brown butter flavor, it is also essentially foolproof: no worrying about cold butter or overmixing, no chilling or rolling, no need even for pie weights. I adapted the filling from a classic recipe for buttermilk pie, reducing it slightly to make for a more delicate tart, and using brown sugar instead of white for a hint of caramel flavor. Finally, the bruleed citrus topping was inspired by one of my favorite things for a late winter morning: a grapefruit half, generously sprinkled with brown sugar and broiled. <br /> <br />The custard in this tart is rich and comforting, while the star anise gives a touch of spiced warmth to the tart brightness of the citrus. The combination makes this tart just the thing for that last dreary stretch of winter before the spring thaw. <br />

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