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Winter Citrus Tart with Almond Cream

Winter Citrus Tart with Almond Cream

Vibrant citrus segments find a home on a bed of creamy almond cream cradled by a crisp, cookie-like crust. This Winter Citrus Tart is worth falling for.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chill/Steep Time 6 hours
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Almond Cream

  • 2 cups half & half
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups unsalted almonds coarsely chopped
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter cut into chunks
  • 1 tsp almond extract

Pâte Sucrée

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into chunks

Winter Citrus Tart with Almond Cream

  • 1/2 batch Pâte Sucrée see above
  • 1 batch Almond Cream see above
  • 2 cara cara oranges cut into segments
  • 1 grapefruit cut into segments
  • 1 naval orange cut into segments
  • 2 limes cut into segments
  • 1 handful unsalted almonds coarsely chopped
  • fresh mint leaves

Instructions
 

Almond Cream

  • Pour the half & half, sugar and salt into a small saucepan and stir. Place the pan over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Take the pan off of the heat and add the almonds. Cover and let steep for two hours.
  • Pour the half & half mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids. Return the strained half & half mixture to the pot and set aside.
  • In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together until the mixture is smooth and pale yellow in color. Set aside.
  • Return the saucepan with the half & half mixture to the heat. Bring back to a gentle simmer. Ladle roughly 1/2 a cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and cook until the pastry cream is thick enough to readily coat the back of a spoon. Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the butter and almond extract. Keep stirring until the butter melts completely.
  • Pour the finished almond cream into a baked pastry shell and chill for 2 hours or until set.

Pâte Sucrée

  • Prepare the Pâte Sucrée while the Almond Cream is steeping. That way the pastry will be ready to go when the Almond Cream is still hot and pourable.
  • Whisk the egg yolks, heavy cream, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • In a large food processor, pulse to combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Set the food processor to low and gradually add the cubes of cold butter. Blitz until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
  • With the food processor still set to low, slowly stream in the egg mixture. Blitz until the dough starts to come together.
  • Place the dough on a well-floured surface and form into a ball. Cut the ball in half and form into two discs. Wrap the discs tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge. Let chill for 30 minutes to an hour.
  • Preheat the oven 375°F. Place 1 disc of the pastry on a floured piece of parchment paper and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  • Using a floured rolling pin, roll the pastry out to a 1/4 of an inch thick. Line a 9-inch tart pan with the pastry and pierce all over with a fork. Cover the pastry the parchment paper you use to roll out the pastry and fill with granulated sugar. Transfer the tart shell to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely.

Winter Citrus Tart with Almond Cream

  • Once the tart has had a chance to chill for 2 hours, you can decorate. Place the citrus segments on top of the tart in a flower formation. I found it best to work from the outside in. 
  • Garnish the tart with mint leaves and coarsely chopped almonds. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.