Dessert for Christmas Day dinner. I thought that instead of a lemon curd tart, I would make a cranberry curd and it turned out lovely. Not too tart (no pun intended), and the candied cranberries are a super textural change. While this looks impressive, it’s actually really easy to make so give it a go!
Ingredients
for the tart shell
1 1/4 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
for the curd
12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen will work)
1 cup sugar
Juice and peel (orange part only) of 1 orange
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
for the sugared cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup superfine (not powdered) sugar (or pulse granulated sugar in a food processor until fine)
Directions
First, make your sugared cranberries. These can be made a day ahead, though I prefer to make them on the day. Rinse the cranberries under running water. Remove any bruised or mushy fruit and discard. Combine 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. Combine the sugar syrup and cranberries in a small bowl. Cover and chill for 4 hours. Drain the cranberries in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid for another use, if desired. Place the superfine sugar in a shallow dish or rimmed plate. Add the cranberries, a few at a time, rolling to coat. Spread the sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry.
To make the tart, preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a 9-inch tart plate with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap cookie crumbs and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Add the melted butter, and mix together until well blended. Pour the gingersnap mixture into the tart plate, and using your hands, press into the pan and up the sides. Bake crust for 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Make the cranberry curd: Put cranberries, sugar and orange juice and peel in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries have popped and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food mill or medium mesh sieve and press cooking liquid into a bowl. Whisk the butter into the warm liquid. Put eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and beat lightly. Slowly whisk a cup of warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper, then combine both and whisk together. Wipe out pot if necessary, return liquid to pot and cook over low heat until nearly bubbling and thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer to catch any unsightly seeds or bits of egg. If using immediately, let cool to room temperature. If working ahead, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap (press wrap against curd) and refrigerate. (Curd may be cooked up to 1 day ahead.)
Pour cooled cranberry curd into the cooled prebaked tart shell and smooth top with a spatula. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes to set curd. Cool on a rack until completely cool, then refrigerate for one hour. Sprinkle with sugared cranberries and serve immediately.
