Cranberry Curd Tart

This tart was, of course, inspired by Valentine’s Day. I love cranberries. I love their color— fresh or frozen— and I love watching them transform on the stovetop from berry to sauce or jam; I love their tartness and finding just the right balance of tart to sweet. My mom makes the best cranberry sauce, and her secret is that she uses half the sugar called for in the recipe. I had never even considered cranberry curd until Lydia handed me this recipe. My love has only deepened.

Another love: I recently got a copy of Claire Saffitz’s, Dessert Person. The layout is smart, full of wonderful deep-dive details, and the photography has this cool Kodachrome feel. I love that my sister is now obsessed with baking because of this book.

So I was thinking Valentine’s Day and had this idea of a pate sucree or sweet tart dough with cranberry curd. I’ve always felt our flours are particularly well suited for pate sucree, contributing both in mouthfeel and in flavor. Saffitz studied pastry arts in Paris so I was excited for the chance to try her recipe, which is particularly interesting as it includes roasted ground almonds. Although the recipe was developed for roller milled flour, measured by weight, the recipe works beautifully one to one with our high extraction all-purpose flour (85AP)

Cranberry Curd Tart

9-inch or 10-inch removable bottom tart pan or springform pan

Sweet Tart Dough (from Dessert Person, Clarie Saffitz)

40 grams whole almonds

130 grams 85 AP

30 grams powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt

113 grams/1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, chilled

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the filling:

228 grams fresh or frozen cranberries

¼ c. water

100g (1/2 c.) granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 Tb. lemon juice

Pinch fine ground sea salt

56g (4 Tb.) salted butter, at room temperature

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F and spread almonds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 12 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool.

Add flour, cooled almonds, powdered sugar, and sea salt to food processor and pulse until almonds are finely ground. Add the butter and process in long pulses, until the butter is no larger than pea-size.

In a small bowl whisk together egg yolk, vanilla extract, and 4 teaspoons of cold water. Remove lid from food processor and pour the egg mixture evenly over the flour mixture.

Pulse again, long pulses, about 10 to 15, until a dough ball is formed. Transfer dough onto a sheet of parchment paper ( or plastic wrap) and shape into a disc, 1/2-inch thick. Wrap well and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (and up to 3 days).

Pull chilled dough from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured surface roll out to 1/8th-inch thick and carefully place into tart pan, fitting the dough into the fluted pan. [Note: Saffitz offers a different method, basically pressing the dough evenly into the pan, but I am a creature of habit and found that rolling the dough worked, too.

Place pan in freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove from freezer and with a paring knife held parallel to your counter, trim off any extra or uneven dough, so that it is smooth and flush with the rim of the pan.

Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet and using the tines of a fork, prick the bottom of the pie dough all over. Next, place a sheet of foil directly onto the dough, all the way to the edges and up the sides. [This is a great trick for blind baking.. no need for pie weights!]

Bake tart for 20 minutes and then remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or until the edges become a deep golden brown. Remove from oven, and turning down oven temp to 325°F.

While tart crust is baking, Make the Curd:

In a small saucepan, bring the cranberries and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for a few minutes, until the berries have popped and softened. Remove the mixture from heat and strain into a small bowl. Press with a rubber spatula to get all the juice and pulp; discard the skins and rinse the strainer. Cool the liquid for a few minutes. 

Whisk the sugar, eggs, yolks, lemon juice, salt, and cranberry juice together in the saucepan. Cook on medium heat, whisking frequently, for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, cut the butter into a few pieces, and whisk it into cranberry mixture. Strain back into the bowl, then pour evenly over the crust. Use a small offset spatula, if desired, to get it extra smooth. 

Bake the tart about 8 minutes at 325, or until filling is slightly set. Cool on a rack, then gently remove from pan, sliding a thin metal spatula under the bottom, if necessary. Refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight. Garnish with powdered sugar, candied orange zest or cranberries, and/or a dollop of whipped cream. Any leftovers should be refrigerated and eaten within a couple of days.