Almond Joy Tart

One of the more interesting things I like to do when traveling abroad is to go shopping in foreign grocery stores. This may sound ridiculous. This may sound like a waste of time. Many of you may even be appalled that I'd take time out of sightseeing to peruse something so commonplace as a grocery store, but I'm going to stand behind myself on this one. It's quite amazing what you'll find.

It's one thing to dine in the unfamiliar restaurants of another country to get a sense of the food culture (and the flavors!), but dining out isn't how most of the population eats. I'm lucky if I dine out once a month. If you want to get a true idea of how people eat (and everybody eats), the market will show you just about everything you could wish to know.

I like to marvel at the differences from my own store and the foods I'm used to. Depending on where you live and where you are traveling, the fruits and vegetables vary. I've often picked up fruit I couldn't recognize, tried to translate the sign I couldn't read, and ended up snapping a photo to identify it later. The amount of boxed and processed foods scattered throughout the store can say quite a bit about the culture you're visiting. I've noticed that there seems to be a much greater focus on fresh food everywhere but the United States. I also find the sweet treats to be fascinating but, then again, my life tends to revolve a bit around butter and sugar.

Food says a lot about a culture and the people who live there. Next time you're in a far away land, eat as much as you can! But when you get full, take a minute or two out of your day to walk through a market and explore. You might just learn more than you expected.

Believe it or not, this tart tastes exactly like an Almond Joy. It is as if you've placed an Almond Joy on a flaky shortbread cookie and taken a big bite. Seriously. The sweet coconut is covered in just the right amount of chocolate—neither overwhelms the other. Sliced almonds are spread over the coconut giving each bite that rich and subtle almond flavor instead of the occasional big crunch in a real Almond Joy. This tart converted my coconut hating boyfriend into one who now requests I make more coconut treats.

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Lemon Chocolate Tart

I put all of my recipes through a test. It's a ridiculous test with even more ridiculous criteria but, consciously or unconsciously, every recipe on this website has been sent through it. This lemon chocolate tart was the first and only to pass this test.

Only one recipe passed? I imagine you must be thinking. What could this test possibly be?

This serious test is to find the recipe, the first recipe, that makes Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is play out in my head. When I took my first bite of this tart, I swear this classic melody was playing in my mind. This tart is love. Oh, you know the words.

I'm going to take a little time
A little time to let this sink in
I will covet this sweet tart
Now that heaven has finally found me

In my life, there's been heartburn and shame
I don't know if I can face a failed recipe again
Can't stop swooning now, I've searched so long
To find this perfect bite.

I want to know what love is
I want you to show me
I want to taste what love is
I know you can show me

Well, at least that's how the sultry tones of Lou Gramm sounded in my head.

I've been searching high and low for a tart like this. The flavors meld so wonderfully together you will think it came straight from above. The shell is soft and sweet, with almond tones, and crumbles perfectly in your mouth like a shortbread cookie. Lemon and chocolate may be unusual flavors to pair together, but they are so delicious when you do. I used this homemade meyer lemon curd which, in my biased opinion, made this tart even sweeter.

Try this tart. Do it. Try it so Lou Gramm will sing to you too.

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