Cranberry Curd Tart

5 from 2 votes

A crisp, nutty base cradles a citrus-infused cranberry filling for a festive dessert that's a perfect balance of silky texture and refreshing tartness.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Chilling Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas, Thanksgiving

Servings: people

Author: Marissa Stevens

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 cups almond flour or hazelnut flour or a blend of both
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons butter melted

For the Cranberry Curd

12 ounces whole cranberries fresh or frozen
1/2 cup orange juice ideally fresh
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons butter room temperature and cut into several pieces (1/2 cup, 1 stick)
2 large eggs room temperature
2 large egg yolks room temperature

Optional Whipped Cream Topping

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier
orange zest

Optional Sugared Cranberries

1/2 cup cranberries
1/4 cup simple syrup store bought or homemade (recipe note #5)
1/4 cup granulated sugar

US - Metric

Instructions

To Make the Crust

Add almond flour, sugar and salt to a medium bowl; stir well with a fork to combine. Pour melted butter over and stir well to combine. Transfer 2/3 of mixture to tart pan and press evenly around the edges and up the sides of tart pan (leaving the bottom bare). Add remaining 1/3 of mixture to center and press evenly across the bottom. Use a flat bottomed measuring cup or glass to firmly press crust into tin and even out bumps. Pierce bottom all over with fork and freeze for 30 minutes. (Or longer - recipe note #1.)
When ready to bake crust, preheat oven to 350℉.
Bake tart crust for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely. (recipe note #2)

To Make Cranberry Curd

Bring cranberries, orange juice and sugar to simmer in a saucepan over medium heat; cook at a simmer (reduce heat if needed), stirring often until cranberries soften and burst, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and blend mixture in the pan until smooth with an immersion blender or transfer to food processor or high powered blender and process or blend until smooth. Press mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. (recipe note #3) Return mixture to saucepan and stir in butter until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whip eggs and egg yolks with a fork until well combined.
To temper eggs, slowly add ~1 cup of warm cranberry mixture, stirring constantly until smooth; slowly add this to mixture to saucepan, stirring constantly and continue stirring until well combined.
Place saucepan over low heat; cook and stir until thickened and close to bubbling; 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. If assembling the tart right away, set aside to cool to room temperature before spreading into crust. If preparing in advance, transfer to bowl and set aside to cool before covering with plastic wrap (pressed against curd surface to avoid it developing a skin) and refrigerating for up to 3 days. (recipe note #4)

Assembling and Baking the Tart

Preheat oven to 350℉.
With a rubber spatula, spread cooled cranberry curd into cooled tart shell in a smooth, even layer. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Can be served at room temperature, but is easier to slice when chilled for several hours. Serve topped with softly whipped cream and garnished with orange zest and/or sugared cranberries (optional, recipes below.)
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.

For Whipped Cream Topping (optional)

Whip heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer (or a whisk) until soft peaks form. Sprinkle orange liqueur over and gently fold to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with orange zest if desired.

Sugared Cranberries (optional)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (for easy cleanup) and place a wire rack inside. In a medium bowl, toss 1/2 cup cranberries with simple syrup (recipe note #5) until coated; transfer to wire rack with a slotted spoon. Let stand at room temperature until dry and sticky, about 45 minutes. Transfer sticky cranberries to a medium bowl of granulated sugar and toss well to coat; return to wire rack and let stand until dry. Once dry, use immediately or store for up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Video

Notes

If covered well and frozen, you can make this crust up to 3 months in advance.
To make this tart up to 3 days in advance, bake crust and prepare curd, but store them separately to avoid a soggy crust. Store cooled crust covered in the freezer and cover and refrigerate curd, and bake the day you plan to serve.
You can skip this step, but you'll have seeds and flecks of cranberry skin (with the bonus of added color natural pectin, helpful for setting the curd), and won't have a perfectly smooth curd.
Be cautious not to overcook the curd, as that could cause a grainy texture. Allow it to cool and thicken before adding it to the tart crust. Make the curd a day in advance if possible (or up to a few days). If made in advance, allow it to cool completely, then refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap touching the surface of the curd to keep it from developing a skin.
To make simple syrup, combine 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until sugar dissolves completely. Let cool to room temperature before using or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 month. Makes about 3/4 cup simple syrup.
Note that total time does not include cooling time of individual tart components.

Nutrition

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