Triple Citrus Tart with Chocolate Crust and Berries
Yield: 8Servings (One 9-Inch or 10-Inch Tart)
Prep: 30 minutesminutes
Cook: 30 minutesminutes
Additional Time: 2 hourshours
Total: 3 hourshours
Triple citrus tart with chocolate crust and berries. This elegant tart is made with a dark chocolate wafer crust and filled with blood orange, lemon, and lime curd. Preparation Note: To account for setting time, I recommend preparing this tart the morning, afternoon, or evening before you wish to serve it. If necessary, you can prepare it two days in advance, but the crust and berries will soften a bit.
1packakge Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafersroughly 40 wafers
¼cup (50 g)granulated sugar
½cup (4 oz; 115 g)unsalted buttermelted
Triple-Citrus Curd:
2lemons
2blood oranges
1lime
¾cup (150 g)granulated sugar
6tablespoons (3 oz; 85 g)unsalted butter
pinchof kosher salt
3large whole eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
Glaze:
¼cup (85 g)strained apricot jam
1tablespooncorn syrup
Assembly:
1½cups (180 g)fresh blackberries
1½cups (180 g)fresh raspberries
Instructions
Make the chocolate crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the center position. Combine the chocolate wafers and sugar in the bowl of a large food processor and process until finely ground. Pour in the melted butter and process until well mixed and crumbly.
Transfer the crumbs into a 10-inch removable-bottom tart pan (original recipe uses a 9-inch springform pan, both work depending on what you have on hand) and, using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crumbs on the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Carefully transfer the tart pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until fragrant and firm. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack before assembling.
To make the citrus curd: Zest the lemons, blood oranges, and lime; set the zests aside. Squeeze the citrus juice (it should yield 1 cup or 240 mL) and combine the juices with the sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and egg yolks in a medium heat-proof bowl until combined. While whisking rapidly with one hand, pour the hot citrus-sugar mixture slowly in the eggs. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until lightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. The curd should coat the back of the spatula. It will thicken further as it cools.
Immediately transfer the citrus curd to a clean heat-proof bowl (otherwise it will continue to cook in the hot pan and could scramble) – I prefer to pour the curd through a fine-meshed sieve to strain and ensure it is extra smooth. Stir the reserved citrus zests into the warm curd. Continue stirring for 1 minute to stop the cooking and then let continue to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Transfer the curd into the cooled tart shell, and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate the tart, covered, for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours, until it is set.
To make the glaze: Combine the strained apricot jam (to do this, heat the jam and strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any fibrous parts) and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat and heat, stirring, until thinned and warm, about 1 minute.
Decorate: Garnish the top of the tart with a circle of blackberries around the edge and fill in with the raspberries. Brush the warm (not hot) glaze over the berries to give them shine. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours before serving. It will taste great a¼ day or two after preparing, but the berries will begin to soften.
Tips for Success:
To account for setting time, I recommend preparing this tart the morning, afternoon, or evening before you wish to serve it. If necessary, you can prepare it two days in advance, but the crust and berries will soften a bit.
The color of the citrus curd will vary from yellow to pink/orange, depending on the brightness or darkness of the blood oranges you use.
If you cannot find blood oranges, substitute with an equal amount of Cara Cara (or navel) oranges. Alternatively, you could use all lemon and lime juice – but I would compensate for the added tartness by adding an additional 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
Modified slightly and republished with permission from the Sweet and Tart cookbook by Carla Synder (Chronicle Books, 2015).