Caramel White Chocolate Tangerine Tart
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Tart with caramelized white chocolate cream, crisp cocoa meringues, bitter chocolate crust, caramelized buckwheat, fresh tangerine segments, and zest. Cocoa meringues baked low and slow for crunch, batter slightly adjusted. Buckwheat toasted with honey. White chocolate caramelized in oven, mixed with gelatin and cream, chilling for hours. Tart crust rebalanced cocoa and flour slightly, blind baked. Layers come together with tart’s fragrant tangerine brightening rich cream. Serves 10 to 12. Prep, cooking, chilling sum to about 4 hours 15 minutes. Small changes in times and quantities shifted. Added yellow zested lemon peel in final garnish for twist, swapped buckwheat for black quinoa for textural contrast.
Prep:
75 min
Cook:
Total:
Servings:
10 servings
#French dessert
#caramelized chocolate
#meringue
#tart
#quinoa garnish
#citrus zest
White chocolate burnt until caramel hue emerges. Tricks with oven baking—slow, patient stirring every ten. Buckwheat? Forget that. Black quinoa now with crunch, honeyed sweet coat. Crust, cocoa-rich, redesigned. Meringues cocoa kissed, baked gentle, twice baked, dried till brittle. Tangerines peeled bare, segments lifted from membrane. Lemon zest brightens, adds sharp twist. Layers of texture, flavor clash and meld. Time? Almost 4 and a quarter hours. Long chill calms cream into firmness. Meringues keep weeks sealed tight, quinoa holds a week. The tart stands dark, glossy cream, punctuated fruit, crackly crunchy bits. French influence laced with modernized tweaks. No filler chatter. Just tart, care and coax.
Ingredients
Cocoa Meringues
- 112 g sugar (about 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 3 egg whites, room temp
- 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) sifted cocoa powder
Chocolate Crust
- 135 g unbleached all-purpose flour (3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 20 g cocoa powder (slightly less than 1/4 cup)
- 1 ml (1/4 tsp) fine sea salt
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened
- 40 g powdered sugar (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 egg yolks, room temp
Caramel White Chocolate Cream
- 225 g chopped white chocolate
- 8 ml powdered gelatin (about 1 1/2 tsp)
- 40 ml cold water (2 2/3 tbsp)
- 470 ml 15% cream
Caramelized Buckwheat (swap: black quinoa)
- 12 ml honey (3/4 tbsp)
- 40 g black quinoa, toasted (about 1/4 cup)
Garnish
- 3 tangerines
- Zest of 1 lemon (added twist)
About the ingredients
Quantities dialed down about 30 percent for sugar, flour, butter—less bulk, more balance. Cocoa levels paired back slightly in crust, meringue for finesse, not bitterness. Gelatin lowered to avoid rubbery feel but enough to stabilize creamy filling. Honey roasted black quinoa swaps traditional buckwheat for nuttier bite. Lemon zest added to final mount gives sharper aromatic contrast with tangerines. Use room temperature eggs always for proper mixing. Chill crust to prevent shrinking. Cocoa powder sifted finely to dodge clumps. White chocolate chopped uniformly for even caramelization. Cooling steps crucial—meringues dry slow at low temps. Keep airtight storage essential for freshness of meringues and quinoa. Balance flavors with tartness of fruit and richness of cream. Use silicone mats for easy cleanup and even heat distribution during caramelization.
Method
Cocoa Meringues
- Set rack mid-oven, preheat to 90 °C (195 °F). Line baking sheet with silicone or parchment.
- Heat sugar and egg whites over double boiler, whisking until sugar dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Beat with electric mixer until meringue cold and stiff peaks form. Mix in cocoa powder thoroughly.
- Pipe small meringue drops on sheet.
- Bake 2 hours 5 minutes until dry and peel off easily. Turn off oven, prop door with wooden spoon, leave meringues inside to dry 2 hours more. Cool on pan.
Chocolate Crust
- Whisk flour, cocoa, salt in bowl.
- Beat butter and powdered sugar until creamy. Add yolks one by one, blend smooth.
- Mix in dry ingredients gently. Press dough evenly in 9-inch (23 cm) removable bottom tart pan, up sides. Prick base with fork.
- Chill 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Place rack mid-level.
- Cover dough with parchment, fill with baking beans. Bake 17 minutes. Remove beans and paper, bake 3 more minutes to dry.
- Cool completely on rack. Lower oven to 120 °C (250 °F).
Caramel White Chocolate Cream
- Spread chopped white chocolate on silicone mat or baking sheet.
- Bake 38 minutes, stirring every 9 minutes. Chocolate turns golden caramel in color. Transfer to bowl.
- Place tart shell on tray.
- Sprinkle gelatin on cold water, let bloom 6 minutes.
- Heat cream to a gentle boil, remove from heat.
- Pour cream over caramelized chocolate. Add gelatin, whisk until dissolved.
- Strain through fine sieve into tart shell. Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.
Caramelized Black Quinoa
- Line a tray with silicone or parchment.
- Warm honey 1.5 to 2 minutes in nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Add quinoa, stir with wooden spoon to coat grain evenly.
- Spread on tray and cool completely.
- Store in airtight container at room temp up to 1 week.
Assembly
- Use zester to remove long, thin strips of lemon zest. Set aside.
- Peel tangerines thinly without white pith. Save peels for compote or discard.
- Segment tangerines by cutting between membranes.
- At serving, arrange tart with some meringues, scatter caramelized quinoa, add tangerine segments and lemon zest.
- Serve immediately.
Cooking tips
Cocoa meringues start first, allowing long drying and cooling—don’t rush these steps. Low-temperature baking critical to prevent cracking or burning. Constant stirring when caramelizing white chocolate avoids scorching and uneven color. When baking crust, use weight for blind bake then remove promptly to finish drying to crispness. Chilling dough firm prevents shrinkage in oven. Strain creamy filling into crust to ensure smooth texture, no bits of gelatin un-melted. Use fresh gelatin, bloom fully before incorporation. Cool filling in fridge minimum 3 hours for firm set. Toast black quinoa dry before coating in honey for optimal caramelization, avoid burning honey in pan by watching closely. Garnish right before serving so meringues hold crisp and citrus zest retains brightness. Peeling tangerines ‘à vif’ means removing all white pith—clean segments only. This tart best served same day assembled for freshness. Timing adjusted in all steps by plus or minus 5 minutes so final product is balanced and reliable.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Meringues baked low and slow for two rounds. First 2+ hours at 90 °C to dry fully, then leave in cooling oven with door ajar for 2 more hours. Key: temperature stability. Avoid rushing. Stiff peak stage only after warm meringue cools fully. Cocoa powder sifted fine avoids lumps - incorporate last. Small piped drops bake evenly, stay crisp. Paper or silicone both OK but check stickiness after baking.
- 💡 Chocolate crust dough chilled minimum 30 minutes to prevent shrinking while baking. Blind bake with parchment and baking beans. Remove beans mid-bake then dry base 3 more minutes for crispness. Use softened butter but keep dough firm, not oily. Fork-pricked base keeps steam from puffing crust. Let cool completely at room temp before filling to avoid soggy bottom. Slight cocoa reduction keeps bitterness balanced with sugar in cream.
- 💡 For caramel white chocolate cream, spread chopped white chocolate thinly on silicone or nonstick surface before baking. Stir every 9 minutes to caramelize evenly. Oven temp 120 °C avoids burning. Bloom gelatin in cold water fully (6 min) before adding to hot cream-chocolate mix. Serve after min 3 hours chilling or longer for firmer set. Strain filling through sieve to remove gelatin bits, ensure silky.
- 💡 Black quinoa toasted dry then coated in warmed honey for caramelized crunch. Watch honey closely, heat only 1.5-2 min to avoid burn. Coat seeds evenly with wooden spoon. Spread on lined tray to cool fully for crisp texture. Store sealed air-tight at room temp up to one week. Swap buckwheat for nutty quinoa for contrast. Adds textural pop and subtle sweetness that cuts richness of cream.
- 💡 Final assembly just before serving to keep textures crisp. Peel tangerines ‘à vif’, remove all white pith to avoid bitterness. Use zester to create thin lemon peel strips for aromatic contrast. Scatter meringues and quinoa around. Serve immediately. Meringues and quinoa can stale if pre-assembled. Tart best same day after chilling to hold set but not soggy.
Common questions
Why bake meringues so long at low temp?
Slow drying avoids cracks, prevents burning. Keeps inside chewy but outside crisp. Oven door ajar dries them fully. Quick high-heat leads to cracking, soft center.
How to prevent crust shrinking?
Chill dough min 30 min. Prick base before blind bake. Use weights, remove mid-way, dry base extra minutes. Butter softness matters—too warm makes spread. Cocoa lessens gluten, so careful mix.
What if gelatin doesn’t bloom fully?
Will clump, uneven set. Always cold water, 6 min soak. Faster won’t dissolve properly, texture rubbery or loose. Alternatives like agar gel differ texture, adjust accordingly.
How to store leftovers?
Meringues dry, keep airtight weeks. Quinoa also sealed room temp. Tart cream chilled fridge covered. Whole tart max 2 days else soggy crust. Segments best fresh, peel stored separately if needed.
