Author Notes
This is a decadent dark chocolate tart with a hint of Grand Marnier and will definitely get you through the rest of the winter. And the candied orange peel is so easy to make, you'll just want to eat it like candy. My family loved it so much, that it's always asked for whenever there's a party going on. —RuthD
Ingredients
- Crust
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1/2 cup
unsalted butter, at room temperature
-
1/2 cup
granulated sugar
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1/4 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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6 tablespoons
unsweetened cocoa powder
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3/4 cup
all purpose flour
- Filling & Candied Orange Peel
-
1 cup
slivered almonds, toasted & coarsely chopped
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2 teaspoons
sugar
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1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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1 cup
whipping cream (35%)
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8 ounces
bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolat, coarsely chopped
-
1 tablespoon
Grand Marnier
-
1
orange
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1/4 cup
superfine sugar
-
2 tablespoons
water
Directions
- Crust
-
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in cocoa powder. Add flour and beat until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into a 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 before forming a ball to make it easier.
-
If you refrigerate overnight, it's important to let the dough soften abit (at least 30 minutes) before rolling. Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 11” round. Peel off the top sheet of paper and invert the dough over a 9” tart pan with removable bottom. Peel off paper.
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Gently press dough into the pan. Press dough that is hanging over the side back in to form double thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
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Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C
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Bake the crust until sides look dry and bottom looks bubbly, about 14 minutes. Transfer crust to rack. Using the back of a spoon press up sides of dough if it’s sagging. Cool completely (Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate).
- Filling & Candied Orange Peel
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Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel (orange part only-white part is bitter) in strips, from the orange. Cut strips into matchstick-size pieces and place in small saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds, drain and pat dry.
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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).
.
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Using the tines of a fork, transfer peel to plate and cool. (Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Cover and store at room temperature).
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Toast the almond slivers in a 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). Let them cool before adding sugar.
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Toss almonds, sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Chop all but 2 strips of candied peel and sprinkle first the chopped peel, then the almond mixture over the bottom of the prepared crust.
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Place cream in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer (bubbles just around the edges but the cream in the center of the pot feels quite hot) and remove from heat.
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Add chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
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Mix in Grand Marnier and pour the filling into the precooked crust. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
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Garnish with remaining orange peel strips. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil and keep refrigerated).
Using a sharp knife, gently loosen crust from pan sides. Remove sides, and cut into wedges. Serve cold.
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