Tangerine, Ginger and Chocolate Tart

Tangerine, Ginger and Chocolate Tart

This elegant tart has a tangy citrus curd nestled in a ginger shortbread crust coated with bittersweet chocolate. The chocolate not only adds flavor, it also helps the pastry stay crisp by creating a barrier between the liquid curd and the pre-baked crust. This tart is best served the day it’s made, but can be stored for 24 hours in the refrigerator; after that, it starts to wilt. If you want to turn the leftover dough scraps into buttery cookies, see the note.
  • Total:
  • Serves: 8 persons

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Step 1

    Place the flour, sugar, crystallized ginger and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
  2. Step 2

    Add butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add egg and pulse just until a crumbly dough comes together. Press dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight (or up to 5 days).
  3. Step 3

    Prepare the curd: In a large, heatproof bowl, whisk together yolks and whole eggs. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine tangerine juice, lemon juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons tangerine zest, 3/4 teaspoon lemon zest, sugar, ginger, salt and butter. Once mixture is simmering, slowly pour into eggs, whisking constantly, then return mixture to pot. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat, until curd thickens enough to coat a spoon, 4 to 7 minutes. Strain into a medium bowl and stir in remaining tangerine and lemon zest and vanilla. If not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 5 days.
  4. Step 4

    Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 3/8-inch thickness (about an 11-inch round). Place dough into a 9-inch tart pan, trimming the dough edges. Poke bottom of dough all over with a fork; chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
  5. Step 5

    Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the tart crust with foil and fill with baking weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is light golden, another 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. Step 6

    Remove crust from oven and immediately sprinkle chopped chocolate evenly over the bottom. Let it sit for 1 minute to melt chocolate, then spread over the surface using an offset spatula. Let the chocolate cool for 5 minutes.
  7. Step 7

    Scrape curd into crust. Bake until the edges are set but the center is still slightly jiggly when shaken, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Step 8

    In a small bowl, whisk together crème fraîche and crystallized ginger. To serve, top the cooled tart with crème fraîche and shave chocolate curls all over the top if you like.