Cranberry Curd Tart

Hello and welcome to Djalali Cooks! I am closing the book on Thanksgiving 2021 today with a beautiful dessert; a great alternative to a lemon tart on your Thanksgiving Table. Not only that, this gorgeous, ruby-hued tart deserves a spot on any holiday table. I found this particular recipe for a Cranberry Curd Tart on NYT Cooking, and I have made a few modifications that make this dessert a whole lot faster and easier. Let’s get right to it!

The Crust

The original recipe calls for a crushed hazelnut crust, which I am sure is delicious. I wanted to simplify this and go for something that didn’t require roasting nuts, peeling off their skin and grinding them. So I went with Almond Flour to substitute for the roasted, peeled, ground hazelnuts and rice flour called for in the original. Otherwise we have sugar, butter and Kosher salt.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the softened butter and the sugar in a mixing bowl and add the almond flour and salt. Mix with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until the dough comes together. It should want to stick to itself when you press it together. If it’s too crumbly, you can add a little more butter (1 tablespoon) or a couple teaspoons of cold water.

Press the dough into a 10-11 inch tart pan. Try to make as even of a layer as possible. Prick the bottom with a fork about 4-5 times. Then pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes. At this point, you can keep it in the freezer for a few days, if making ahead.

When the crust comes out of the freezer, bake it for about 10-15 minutes, until the crust is a light golden brown. While the crust is baking and cooling, we can make the Cranberry Curd.

Cranberry Curd

This curd is super simple to make. Half a cup of fresh orange juice from 1-2 oranges; the orange part only of 1 orange peel; 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks; 1 cup of sugar; a stick of butter and a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries. That’s it! Over medium heat, bring the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and peels up to a simmer.

Let this simmer for about 3-5 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and begin to soften. While you’re waiting for that, cube the stick of butter and set aside.

We want to get the most color out of these cranberries, for that gorgeous jewel-toned red; so pour the cranberry mixture into a blender and puree until smooth.

Silky Smooth Cranberry Curd

From here it’s going to look pretty dang smooth, but we want the curd to be silky, so now push the pureed cranberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer.

Now for the eggs. The silky cranberry puree will still be hot. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks. Then we will temper the eggs. Whisk a couple tablespoons of the hot cranberry puree into the eggs. Mix well to incorporate and temper the eggs. Whisk in a couple more tablespoons of the hot cranberry puree to the eggs, then whisk the tempered eggs into the bowl with the rest of the cranberry puree. Mix until smooth.

Wash out the saucepan we cooked the cranberries and sugar in. Then, over low heat, pour the cranberry/egg mixture into the saucepan. As soon as you see the first bubbles beginning to form, stir in the softened butter and add a small pinch (about 1/8 tsp.) Kosher salt. When the butter is melted, turn off the heat. Pour the mixture into a large measuring cup or batter bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Assemble the Tart

Place the baked cooled tart shell on a sheet tray for easier maneuvering. When the cranberry curd is cooled to room temperature, pour the curd into the baked and cooled tart shell.

Use a silicone spatula to scrape out every last bit of curd from the bowl and smooth the top of the curd in the shell if needed.

Bake the tart in the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, just to set the curd. Cool the tart, in the pan, on a wire cooling rack until completely cool.

I let this tart sit at room temperature overnight before removing it from the tart pan and cutting the first slice. If you use a tart pan with the removable sides, carefully place the tart centered over a short cup or bowl, to let the bottom separate from the sides. Then carefully run a long, thin knife between the bottom of the tart and the pan, and very carefully slide the tart onto a serving plate or cake stand.

Use a sharp, thin knife to slice and serve! You can decorate the top of the tart with whipped cream, if you like. But I chose to keep it naked, because the color is so striking.

This Cranberry Curd Tart is a winner for so many reasons. Its color is just so beautiful, guaranteed to draw attention on the dessert table. If you love lemon tarts, this is a festive alternative. You can make the tart shell and the curd a day or two ahead time; you can even bake it off a day ahead because even on day two at room temperature, this tart is fantastic!

Thank you all so much for joining me today! I wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving, I will see you again on Friday for Pizza and a Movie, take care and be well. xo Kelly

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Cranberry Curd Tart

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Dessert – American

By Adapted From NYT Cooking – Serves: 8-10

Prep Time: ~1 Hour (not including cooling time) – Cooking Time: 10 Minutes – Total Time: ~1 Hour, 10 Minutes

Bright and punchy in looks and flavor, this Cranberry Curd Tart will be the eye-catching dessert stealing all the attention on your Holiday table.

Ingredients

• Tart Shell
• 2 cups Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 6 tbsp. Unsalted Softened Butter, more as necessary
• Cranberry Curd
• 12 oz. Fresh Cranberries
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Orange Juice and the Peel of one Orange (orange part only)
• 2 Eggs, Plus 2 Egg Yolks
• 4 oz. Unsalted Softened butter (1 stick)
• Pinch of Kosher Salt (1/8 tsp.)

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the softened butter and the sugar in a mixing bowl and add the almond flour and salt. Mix with a silicone spatula until the dough comes together. It should want to stick to itself when you press it together. If it's too crumbly, you can add a little more butter (1 tablespoon) or a couple teaspoons of cold water.

2

Press the dough into a 10-11 inch tart pan. Try to make as even of a layer as possible. Prick the bottom with a fork about 4 times. Then pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes. At this point, you can keep it in the freezer for a few days, if making ahead.

3

When the crust comes out of the freezer, bake it for about 10-15 minutes, until the crust is a light golden brown. While the crust is baking and cooling, we can make the Cranberry Curd.

4

Over medium heat, bring the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and peels up to a simmer. Let this simmer for about 3-5 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and begin to soften.

5

While you're waiting for that, cube the stick of butter and set aside.

6

Pour the cranberry mixture into a blender and puree until smooth.

7

Then, push the pureed cranberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a mixing bowl. Set aside.

8

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks. To temper the egg, whisk a couple tablespoons of the hot cranberry puree into the eggs. Mix well to incorporate and temper the eggs.

9

Whisk in a couple more tablespoons of the hot cranberry puree to the eggs, then whisk the tempered eggs into the bowl with the rest of the cranberry puree. Whisk until smooth.

10

Wash out the saucepan we cooked the cranberries and sugar in. Then, over low heat, pour the cranberry/egg mixture into the saucepan. As soon as you see the first bubbles beginning to form, stir in the softened butter and a pinch of Kosher salt. When the butter is melted, turn off the heat. Pour the mixture into an 8-cup measuring cup or batter bowl and let cool to room temperature.

11

Place the baked cooled tart shell on a sheet tray for easier maneuvering. When the cranberry curd is cooled to room temperature, pour the curd into the baked and cooled tart shell.

12

Use a silicone spatula to scrape out every last bit of curd from the bowl and smooth the top of the curd in the shell if needed.

13

Bake the tart in the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, just to set the curd. Cool the tart, in the pan, on a wire cooling rack until completely cool.

14

If you use a tart pan with the removable sides, carefully place the tart centered over a short cup or bowl, to let the side ring lower and separate from the bottom. Then carefully run a long, thin knife between the bottom of the tart and the bottom of the pan, and very carefully slide the tart onto a serving plate or cake stand.

15

Use a sharp, thin knife to slice and serve