Hazelnut Marmalade Linzer(ish) Tart

The other day I ate bad ricotta.  Not like, “I’ve had better ricotta before, this is kind of meh-tasting.” Nope, I mean I ate bad ricotta.  I’m talking well past the expiration date and straight-up funky.  I ate kind of a lot of it, too, before realizing.

How does a person do this, you might ask?  Well, I can confidently state that if you are feeling sort of sniffly and put rancid ricotta on a toasted English muffin and then top it with a fried egg, chances are high that you will eat the whole effing thing before realizing that the ricotta has gone the way of one of Michael Jackson’s most popular songs.

Ugh.

But!  Turns out I’m fine.  Aside from being generally disgusted, I felt no ill effects of the naughty ricotta cheese.  And then I found food redemption in a jar of Seville orange marmalade for $3.50 from Trader Joe’s.

YES.

Sweet, bitter, and versatile on toast or tarts, this marmalade is one of my favorite finds of late.  And the best part?  Marmalade doesn’t go bad.

Hazelnut Marmalade Linzer(ish) Tart

Adapted from Poires Au Chocolat

This tart is sort of like a big, round and jammy cookie.  It’s sweet, nutty, bitterish and delicious.  The original recipe calls for a teaspoon of ground ginger in the dough.  I didn’t have any around so left it out, but I bet it would be a welcome addition.

Ingredients:

• 100 grams roasted hazelnuts
• 130 grams all-purpose flour 
• 150 grams brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 150 grams unsalted butter (straight from the fridge is fine), cubed
• 2 teaspoon almond milk (can substitute regular milk)
• 200 grams seville orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Place hazelnuts, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and blend until finely ground.  Add the butter and pulse a few times to start incorporating.  Then add the milk and continue blending just until the dough comes together (it will clump together but still be slightly crumbly).

Wrap a 50 gram chunk of dough in plastic wrap, and set it aside in the refrigerator to chill. Lightly grease an 8-inch tart ring with a removable bottom, then press the remaining dough into it evenly, making sure to press it up into the sides of the pan to create a little lip around the edge.  Place the filled tart pan into the fridge with the smaller ball of dough to chill for 30 minutes.

While the dough chills, stir the marmalade with the lemon juice until smooth and spreadable. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Once chilled, spread the marmalade over the dough in the tart pan, leaving a bit of bare dough around the edge.  Tear the extra ball of dough into small chunks and scatter them on top.  Bake the tart for about 45 minutes, until the dough is deeply browned and the jam is bubbly.

Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing up and serving with tea.

Makes one 8- (or 9-) inch tart.