Dark Chocolate & Candied Orange Tart

Dark Chocolate & Candied Orange Tart
From Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories

Serves 12

Ingredients:
Candied Orange Peel
1 orange
¼ cup superfine sugar
2 tbsp water
Crust
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
(at room temperature)
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
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 whipping cream
8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (not unsweetened)
1 tbsp Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

Directions:
For candied orange peel: (25 minutes)
1. Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (orange part only-white part is bitter) from orange in strips. Cut strips into matchstick-size pieces and place in small saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to boil. Cook 30 seconds, drain and pat dry.

2. Rinse pot and add ¼ cup sugar, 2 tbsp water and orange peel. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer until the peel is translucent and syrup is thick (about 20 minutes).
3. Using tines of fork, transfer peel to plate and cool. (Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Cover and store at room temperature)

For crust: (2 hours)
1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in cocoa powder. Add flour and beat until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.(This dough is extremely crumbly – it’s supposed to be, so don’t worry. I usually lay the dough on plastic wrap on the counter first).** See note below.

2. Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 11-inch round. Peel off top sheet of paper and invert dough over 9” tart pan with removable bottom. Peel off paper

3. Gently press dough into pan. Press dough overhang in to form double thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Refrigerate 30 minutes

4. Preheat oven to 375° F/190°C.

5. 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 it’s sagging. Cool completely (Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate)

For filling: (cooking 30 minutes plus 3 hours minimum refrigeration time)
1. Toast the almond slivers in non stick pan over medium low heat, shaking the pan occasionally until the edges brown and you can smell the nuttiness – about 4-5 minutes.

2. Toss almonds, sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Chop all but 2 strips of peel and sprinkle first the chopped orange peel, then almond mixture over bottom of prepared crust.

3. Place cream in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer (bubbles just around the edges but the cream in the center of the pot feels quite hot) and remove from heat.

4. Add chocolate and whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

5. Mix in Grand Marnier and pour into crust. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours

6. Garnish with remaining orange peel strips. (Can be made 1 day ahead, cover loosely with foil and keep refrigerated)

7. Using sharp knife, gently loosen crust from pan sides. Remove sides and cut in wedges. Serve cold.

Tips
This dessert can be prepared in stages several days before serving.

Special equipment:
9” tart pan with a removable bottom

** If you leave the dough in the fridge overnight, it will come out hard as a rock and will need anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours until it is workable.

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