Citrus is probably my favorite thing about winter. Every year during citrus season, my mind always churns through new ideas of what I might create with these bright, refreshing fruits and I think I hit the jackpot with this candied citrus yogurt tart! Composed of simple ingredients, this tart is one of those recipes we will make again and again.
Let’s start by talking about the toasted fennel pistachio crust. Yes, it’s kind of a mouthful I know, but you guys – this crust is a revelation! It is probably one of the best things we have ever tasted. The combination of pistachio with toasted fennel, it is out of control delicious! So good in fact, that I will most definitely be utilizing this flavor combo in other creations in the future, so stay tuned! Also, it just happens to be gluten-free too, which is just one more reason to love this crust!
Next up is the filling. I have been wanting to make a tart with a thick, sweetened yogurt filling for some time. I used our favorite yogurt from Siggi’s, which happens to be super thick, but it is not quite thick enough to be spread into the crust straight from the container without making our crust soggy. So I strained the yogurt a little bit more while I was preparing the crust and the candied citrus and in that amount of time, the yogurt became the perfect consistency to fill the tart.
Finally we finishthis beauty off with candied citrus. I used blood oranges, mandarin-quats (kumquats would work great) and eureka lemons (meyer lemons would be lovely as well). I really wanted to use lime (as you can see I did slice one up to candy), but it turns out limes are not the best citrus for candying, so I opted for adding fresh lime zest as a final garnish instead and that was actually the perfect finishing touch!
My hubby who is not a super big fan of strong citrus desserts (especially ones heavy on the zest) absolutely loved this recipe! The thick yogurt is the ideal filling to mellow the intensity of the candied citrus and the crust, I mean, it is incredible! The toasted fennel in the crust pairs wonderfully with the citrus and the smooth sweet yogurt filling. Light and refreshing, this candied citrus and yogurt tart is a beautiful celebration of citrus season that we will look forward to enjoying every winter!
PrintCANDIED CITRUS YOGURT TART
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 slices 1x
Ingredients
FOR THE YOGURT FILLING:
- 24oz thick yogurt (we used Siggi’s 4% plain whole milk yogurt)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp orange blossom water
FOR THE CRUST:
- 2/3 cup (100 g) pistachio flour (we use Amoretti pistachio flour, but you can grind shelled pistachios in a food processor until fine to make pistachio flour)
- 1/2 cup (80 g) sweet white rice flour
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) tapioca flour/starch
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated cane sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) cold, salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp crushed toasted fennel seeds
FOR THE CANDIED CITRUS
- 1 blood orange
- 1 lemon
- 3 kumquats or mandarin-quats
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
Instructions
FOR THE YOGURT FILLING:
- Scoop yogurt into a cheesecloth, wrap tightly and hang yogurt to strain while you prepare the crust & candied citrus (about 1 1/2 hours)
- Once crust is cooled and candied citrus is done, remove yogurt from cheesecloth into a bowl. Stir in honey & orange blossom water until well combined.
FOR THE CANDIED CITRUS:
- Thinly slice citrus and gently poke out any seeds. Prepare a medium-size bowl with ice and water.
- Bring a pot of water to boil, add citrus slices & boil for one minute. Remove slices from boiling water and plunge into ice water for a couple of minutes until cool, then drain.
- In a medium-size skillet bring sugar and water to a simmer, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Add citrus slices in a single layer and simmer for about an hour, until rinds are translucent. Remove citrus slices and cool on wire rack.
FOR THE CRUST:
- Preheat to 350ºF and rub a 13½ by 4½-inch rectangular tart pan (or a 9-inch round tart pan) with a loose bottom with butter or cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the pistachio and sweet rice flour with the tapioca starch, sugar, salt & crushed fennel seeds. Scatter the butter pieces over the top of the flour mixture & drizzle with the vanilla & almond extracts. Turn the mixer to medium-low and mix until the dough comes together in clumps & the butter is worked through, 3–5 minutes.
- Dump the crumbs into the prepared tart pan and press the dough evenly into the pan, starting with the sides and then moving to the bottom, keeping the edges square. (It usually takes about 10 minutes to shape the crust evenly into the tart pan.) Freeze until crust until firm, about 15–30 minutes.
- Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20-15 minutes until lightly golden all over. Remove the crust from the oven and, while it’s still hot, press the sides & bottom with the back of a spoon (this will help the crust hold together once it is cool.) Cool crust completely.
ASSEMBLY:
- Spread sweetened yogurt evenly into the cooled crust. Arrange candied citrus on top of yogurt. Refrigerate tart for at least 2-3 hours until chilled. Slice, serve & enjoy :)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
the Styling of the dessert and photos is So Stunning!!
thank you so much!
what is that shaved green garnish over the top, it makes the tart look SO inviting?!?!?
It is lime zest! :D