The best make ahead dessert! A creamy and refreshing posset made with heavy cream and fresh mandarin oranges, in a whole wheat tart crust.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15minutes
Cook Time 40minutes
Chilling Time 6hours
Total Time 6hours55minutes
Servings 8slices
Calories 268kcal
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Tart Crust
1CupWhite Whole Wheat Flour
1TbspBrown Sugar
¼tspSalt
½CupUnsalted Buttercold and cut into cubes
2-4TbspCold Water
Mandarin Orange Posset
½TbspFresh Mandarin Orange Zestabout 2-3 oranges
¼CupFresh Mandarin Orange Juiceabout 2-3 oranges
½TbspLemon Juice
1 ½CupsHeavy Cream
¼CupGranulated Sugar
¼tspAlmond Extractoptional
1Mandarin Orangesliced, for garnish
Instructions
Whole Wheat Tart Crust
Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle, and set aside a non-stick tart pan with a removable bottom.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and salt and whisk together until combined, and no brown sugar lumps remain.
Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until pieces are the size of small peas, and the mixture has a texture similar to wet sand. Add in the water a little bit at a time, and use your hands to mix until a sticky ball forms.
Place the tart pan on a sturdy flat surface, and press the crust into the pan and up the sides using your fingertips.
Cover the tart crust with aluminum foil, gently pressing it into the crust to mold against its shape. Add the pie weights1 on top on the foil, evenly distributed throughout the pan.
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the pie weights and cover, and continue baking for 8-10 more minutes until golden brown. Carefully transfer to a trivet to cool completely.
Mandarin Orange Posset
In a medium saucepan, combine the cream and sugar. Heat on medium to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue simmering for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Turn off the heat, and then stir in the mandarin orange juice and zest, lemon juice, and almond extract. Let sit for about 5 minutes, until cool enough to handle.
Pour the posset into the cooled tart shell and chill it in the fridge for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Check the center of the tart with a butter knife to be sure it has set. Then unmold the tart from the pan, by placing it on top of an upside down 5 or 6-inch bowl, and gently guiding the outer ring down
Garnish with fresh mandarin orange pieces, and cut into slices to serve. Store covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
If you don't have pie weights, you can use dried beans, place an 8-inch ceramic cake pan on top of the tart, or use an aluminum pan weighted down with a heavier ramekin. The weight on top of the crust prevents it from puffing up, so you have a nice flat base to add your custard. Don't skip this step, but feel free to improvise!
Make ahead tips:
You can make the crust 3-4 days in advance, and store it in the fridge once cooled, tightly covered in plastic wrap.
The entire tart can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. However, if you stored the fridge, I do not suggest storing the entire tart as well for more than 4 days total.