Recipe of the Week from Marigold Lodge: Dark Chocolate Orange Tart
For the finishing touches on your spring holiday festivities, why not consider the delectable contrasting flavors of chocolate and orange? It’s a nice follow-up to the Steamed Halibut in Borscht and Roasted Rosemary Rack of Lamb that we offered for the first two courses in our spring recipe series.
Dark Chocolate Orange Tart
Serves 12.
Candied Orange Peel
1 orange
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. water
Crust
¼ lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Filling
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
For Candied Orange Peel
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (orange part only) from orange in strips. Cut strips into matchstick-size pieces and place in small saucepan. Cover with cold water; bring to boil. Cook 30 seconds; drain. Rinse saucepan; add ¼ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons water and peel. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer until peel is translucent and syrup is thick, about 20 minutes. Using tines of fork, transfer peel to plate and cool.
For the Crust
Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl until smooth. Beat in cocoa powder. Add flour and beat until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 11-inch round; peel off top sheet of paper. Invert dough over 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Gently press dough into pan. Press dough overhang to form double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake crust until sides look dry and bottom looks bubbly, about 14 minutes. Transfer crust to rack. Using back of spoon, press up sides of dough if falling. Cool completely.
For the Filling
Toss almonds, sugar, and cinnamon into a small bowl. Chop all but two strips of peel. Sprinkle chopped orange peel, then almond mixture over bottom of prepared crust. Place cream in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer; remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth; mix in Grand Marnier. Pour into crust.
Refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 3 hours. Garnish with remaining orange peel strips.