Fresh Citrus Tart with a Gingersnap Crust

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When the winter weather starts to take hold, you’ll often find me reaching for citrus to help brighten up chilly grey days. Rarely does a day go by throughout the year when I’m not adding a squeeze of lemon to everything from pasta to chicken, but wintertime brings us the seasonal bounty of other kinds of citrus, like oranges and grapefruit. This beautiful tart makes the most of winter citrus, which I decided to complement with a simple gingersnap and walnut crust, using up the zingy gingersnaps I picked up recently from Mouth.com.

Quickly candied clementine slices add some extra citrus zip, and feel free to add a dollop — or two — of barely sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche.

for the crust:

1 1/2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon brown sugar

for the filling:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh orange zest

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 large eggs, separated

for garnish:

2 small clementine oranges, sliced into 1/4″ rounds

1/2 cup sugar

Mix the four crust ingredients together thoroughly and press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Set the pan aside while you make the garnish and mix together the filling.

Put the 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan with 3/4 cup of water and stir until the sugar dissolves over low heat. Add the clementine slices and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and let simmer gently until the liquid reduces by half. Remove the clementine slices from the pan, allowing the excess liquid to drain off of each slice and let cool for a few moments on a piece of parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 325°.

Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, orange and lemon juice, orange zest, nutmeg, and egg yolks until completely blended. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks, then gently fold into the condensed milk mixture until combined into a thick glossy mixture. Pour into prepared crust and top with the clementine slices.

Bake at 325° for 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is just set. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Chill for at least 2 hours. Remove tart from pan and place on a serving dish. Serve with whipped cream or creme fraiche on the side if desired.

#TwoWaysTuesday Tip: If you like gingersnaps, try out these Spicy S’mores!