Blood oranges are in stock at the grocery store, so it’s time to try new recipes with new ingredients! I bought a 2-lb bag of them and was somewhat surprised by how small they are – the size of clementines, not oranges. They are so pretty when you cut them open – red and purple and orange (oh my).
To highlight that beauty, I decided to make a dessert that used whole slices, and so I came up with a chocolate tart (this was also so I could use a tart pan we got way back during our bridal shower last year that I still hadn’t tried out!)
I candied the orange slices so that you can eat the entire thing, rind included. They are still tart, but I think that works well with dark, fudgy chocolate. Mr. Smith said it reminded him of those chocolate-covered orange candies, the kind you whack open (also known as Terry’s Chocolate Orange).
The chocolate tart was delicious, but the crust needs some alterations. It crumbled as soon as I cut into it. It’s quite good, despite that, but I need to do some research as to why it crumbled (too dry, not enough binder, or baked too long?).
Blood Orange Chocolate Tart
This blood orange chocolate dessert is wonderful, although the crust may use some tweaking.
Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Yield: (1) 10-inch tart
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- Candied Oranges:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 blood oranges
- Filling:
- 8 oz dark chocolate (I used dark chocolate chips)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1/2 cup honey
- zest of 1 blood orange
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- To make the candied orange slices, pour the water into a medium pot over high heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Allow coming to a boil.
- Add the oranges, cut into 1/4′′ pieces, to the saucepan. Reduce the temperature to a simmer, cover, and leave to cook for 45 minutes.
- Allow cooling after turning off the heat.
- Place the orange slices on a paper towel to drain.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F.
- To make the crust, pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they become fine flour. Add the whole wheat flour and the melted butter, and pulse until a dough forms.
- Press the dough into a tart pan, making sure to fill in all the spaces.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- To make the filling, melt the butter and the dark chocolate in a double-broiler (or a regular pan over low heat, or in the microwave, working in 15-30 second increments). Turn off the heat.
- Add the cocoa powder, instant coffee, honey, and blood orange zest, and whisk to combine.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time, after each addition.
- Pour the chocolate into the tart crust and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes, until the sides of the chocolate start to firm. Add the blood orange slices on top, in a decorative pattern, and cook for 10 minutes more, until the chocolate has slightly firmed through the middle.
- Let cool and slice. Enjoy!
