Tangerine-Almond Tart with Chocolate Drizzle

In the summer, it is so easy to be inspired by fruits and vegetables. In the spring, anything new and green is a promise of all the deliciousness to come. And even in fall, pears and pumpkins feel cozy and fun. But in the winter, it can be hard to muster up that excitement that comes so easily throughout the rest of the year. 

But when I received a handful of juicy tangerines in my Door to Door Organics box, a few still holding onto their vibrant green leaves, I was both inspired and excited. A mad googling ensued, and being the tart-lover that I am, I came up with this delicious creation.

 Tangerines, almonds, and chocolate? I know, it is a trifecta of winter flavor. Better yet, this tart has a fabulous shortbread crust. The recipe that I am working from is from EatingWell. Their recipe called for a rather laborious crust involving whole wheat pastry flour and lots of kneading and rolling. No thanks! This shortbread crust takes fewer ingredients (that we all have), plus you just press it right into the pan.

I loved the way this tart turned out. The citrus and almond flavors were in perfect balance. The chocolate is, well, always a pleasure. If you don't have picture perfect tangerines on hand, oranges will absolutely do the trick.

The chocolate drizzle is something that I haven't done before, and you can see that my work is not so very beautiful. But even my amateurish job impressed my dinner mates. TIP: Spoon your melted chocolate into a sandwich bag, and then cut the tip of a corner off. Squeeze away.

Tangerine-Almond Tart with Chocolate Drizzle

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp grated tangerine or orange zest
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 tbs unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
• 1 large egg yolk (save the white for the filling!)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup tangerine juice (about 3 tangerines) or orange juice
• zest of 3 tangerines (about 3 tsp)
• 3 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter the bottom of a 9.5-in two piece tart pan. In a food processor, process the flour 1/3 cup sugar, zest, and salt for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk (don't forget to save the white for the filling) and process just until it comes together in a ball. Pat the dough into the tart pan, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and then bake for 18-20 minutes. Set aside.

2. Turn oven down to 375. Clean out your food processor. Place almonds on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Let cool for a few minutes.

3. Place the almonds and 1/3 cup sugar into the food processor and process until almonds are ground. Add eggs, egg white, tangerine juice, and zest to the processor, and process until well blended. Scatter half of your chocolate chips over the crust. Pour the tangerine filling into the crust.

4. Bake the tart at 375 for about 25-30 minutes. The filling should be set. Melt your remaining chocolate chips in a double boiler (I used a small metal bowl placed over a pot of boiling water -- the bowl should be above and not touching the water), or you can use a microwave if you have one of those newfangled gadgets. Drizzle the chocolate decoratively over the tart (see my tip in the paragraph preceding the recipe!)