Cranberry Curd Tart Recipe
This gorgeous tart is made entirely of cranberry curd made with fresh cranberries and orange juice atop a spiced gingersnap crust. Top your cranberry curd tart with sugared cranberries, whipped cream, or your favorite seasonal topping.
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
CRANBERRY CURD FILLING
- 12 ounces (340g) fresh cranberries
- ½ cup (120mL) fresh orange juice1
- zest of one orange
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature and cut into 4 slices
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
GINGERSNAP CRUST
- 1 and ½ cups (150g) crushed gingersnap cookies about 25 cookies
- ⅓ cup (67g) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter melted
Instructions
CRANBERRY CURD FILLING
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, and sugar. Bring to a boil then simmer while stirring occasionally until cranberries are macerated, sugar has fully dissolved, and the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat.12 ounces (340g) fresh cranberries, ½ cup (120mL) fresh orange juice1, zest of one orange, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- Pour the cranberry mixture into a blender (my preference) or a food processor. Don't wash the saucepan yet. Purée mixture until there are no large cranberry pieces remaining. Set aside.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks to a medium size bowl then whisk to combine. Add about 2 Tablespoons of the cranberry mixture (does not have to be measured or perfect) to the egg mixture then whisk again to temper2 the eggs. Add the tempered eggs and the cranberry mixture that's still in the blender back into the saucepan.2 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks
- Cook the cranberry mixture + eggs over medium-low heat while stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 160ºF (71ºC), about 3-5 minutes. I use my digital instant-read thermometer to check the temperature quickly. Add the butter and salt then stir until all of the butter is melted. Allow the cranberry curd to cool in the saucepan about 45 to 60 minutes while you prepare the crust.¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, ⅛ teaspoon salt
GINGERSNAP CRUST
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF (162ºC). Spray a 9" tart pan3 lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a food processor, crush the gingersnaps until they become a fine crumb. Pour the crushed gingersnaps into a large bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and melted butter, and stir to combine (you can also just add all of these ingredients straight to the food processor to blend them there).1 and ½ cups (150g) crushed gingersnap cookies, ⅓ cup (67g) firmly packed light or dark brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter
- Press the gingersnap crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared tart pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup to help you really press the crumbs together to make a tight and compact crust. Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you finish the filling. If your tart crust has shrunken or slipped, fear not! Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust back into place while it is still hot. Work quickly but carefully, as the crumbs will still be quite malleable while hot and start to set as they cool.
ASSEMBLE THE TART
- When your cranberry curd has cooled significantly, check to be sure it is below 125ºF (52ºF). This will insure a film has formed and moving forward, your curd will stay nice and smooth.
- When your curd is at the appropriate temperature, press it through a fine mesh sieve into a medium size bowl or a large measuring cup with a spout. If it has cooled too much, it may be harder to work with. Just reheat it over medium heat until it has thinned out a bit (no more than 1-2 minutes-- you don't need to cook it any more, just looking to loosen the butter). Work in 3 to 4 batches and remove the skin/seeds/chunks that don't pass through the sieve before adding another batch of curd. You may need to rinse it.
- Pour your cranberry curd into the prepared tart (it's ok if it's still warm) then spread the filling evenly to the edges of the tart crust with an offset spatula. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. Tart will not be "set" in a sense that it will be hard to cut through. It will still be quite soft, but should hold its shape when you cut it. Garnish with sugared cranberries and/or homemade whipped cream. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Tart freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Fresh orange juice: you may not get a full ½ cup of fresh orange juice from one orange, depending on the size. That's ok! Just add water to the ½ cup mark. You could even use another citrus juice if you wanted to.
- Tempering the eggs: this just means you're adding a portion of your hot liquid (in this case, the cooked cranberries) to eggs to heat them up slowly so they don't cook when you add them to the whole batch of hot liquid.
- Tart pan: you will want a tart pan with a removable bottom. If you don't have a tart pan, you can also use a springform pan. If you use a pie plate, your slices will be very difficult to remove.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 462IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
