I love tarts with citrus curd. Citrus fruits work well because they are high in pectin which helps them set up. Cranberries are also high in pectin so I thought I would give cranberry curd a try. I have been playing with recipes and flavor variations. I particularly like the addition of orange, and chai tea fans enjoy this flavor as well. The nut crust is a great complement to the tangy taste of the curd. I chose pistachios for the flavor as well the colors for the holiday. Pecan also taste very nice but don’t see as festive to me. The middle eastern market I like to go to sells these very bright green pistachio slivers. I think they are made by tumbling the nuts to remove the skin. I hope to make a trip the market soon. I think they will make a beautiful garnish as slivers or ground into powder to dust the whipped cream.
Serves 6-8
Filling
1 pound (4 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1⁄4 cups (83⁄4 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/4 cup of orange juice
1⁄4 cup water
1-2 bags of chai tea (optional )
Pinch table salt
3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1-2 tablespoons whole pistachios
Crust
1 cup (4 ounces) pistachio flour
1⁄2 cup (2 ounces) cornstarch
1⁄3 cup (21⁄3 ounces) sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom
FOR THE FILLING: Bring cranberries, 1 1⁄4 cups sugar, orange juice water, salt and tea bags(if using) if using to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat to maintain very gentle simmer. Cover and cook until all the cranberries have burst and started to shrivel, about 10 minutes. Remove the optional tea bags after about 5 minutes. While cranberries cook, whisk egg yolks and cornstarch in bowl until smooth. Transfer the hot cranberry mixture to a food processor. Immediately add yolk mixture and process until smooth (small flecks of cranberry skin will be visible), about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Let mixture cool in food processor bowl until skin forms and the mixture temperature drops to 120 to 125 degrees, about 45 minutes. While mixture cools, make the crust.
FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in bowl until well combined. Add melted butter and vanilla extract and stir with wooden spoon until a uniform dough forms. Crumble two-thirds of mixture over bottom of 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press the dough to an even thickness in bottom of pan. Crumble remaining dough and scatter evenly around edge of pan. Press crumbled dough into sides of pan. Press edges to even thickness. Take time to do this neatly. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
Add softened butter to cranberry puree and process until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl, pressing on solids with rubber spatula to extract puree. Transfer 2 tablespoons puree to medium bowl, then stir in cream and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Cover and refrigerate. Transfer remaining puree to crust (it's okay it the crust is still a bit warm) and smooth into even layer with a small offset spatula. Let tart sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours. Cover and refrigerate after 4 hours if not serving right away.
Whisk the cream, sugar and 2 tablespoons of curd until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a pastry tip. Pipe a decorative border around edge of tart. Transfer any remaining whipped cream to small serving bowl. Cranberries have a lot of pectin and this helps the whip cream keep it’s shape when piping.