Cranberry-Lemon Tart

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 8 to 10 servings
  • Total: 2 hr 10 min (plus 4 hr chilling)
  • Active: 1 hr
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Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

For the Filling and Topping:

3 cups frozen cranberries (about 12 ounces), thawed, plus 1/2 cup for topping

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup water

1 lemon

3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk 

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions

  1. Make the crust: Whisk the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers until a soft dough forms. Firmly press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick the crust in a few spots with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, 10 to 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the dough with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and continue to bake until the crust is dry and lightly browned, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. 
  3. Make the filling: Combine 3 cups cranberries, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water in a blender. Remove 5 wide strips of zest from the lemon using a vegetable peeler; set the strips aside. Fully peel the lemon, removing any white pith. Add the peeled lemon and 2 strips of zest to the blender and blend until smooth (reserve the remaining 3 strips of zest for topping). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan, pressing on the seeds and skins with a rubber spatula. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. 
  4. Meanwhile, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolk, cornstarch and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot cranberry mixture, then pour into the saucepan with the remaining cranberry mixture, whisking. Continue to cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the filling boils and is thick like pudding, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into the crust, cover with plastic wrap or an inverted plate and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  5. Make the toppings: Bring 1/2 cup each water and granulated sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cranberries and 3 strips of lemon zest, then remove from the heat and let cool. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Thinly slice the zest. Put the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a shallow dish, add the cranberries and zest and gently toss to coat. Let set, 30 minutes to 1 hour, shaking occasionally to re-coat. 
  6. Beat the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until medium peaks form. Top the tart with the sugared cranberries and lemon zest. Serve with the whipped cream.

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elaine.k.duffy

I used a very fine zester so no need to sliver larger pieces of zest at the end.<div>i did not strain the mixture and thought that the texture was nice. Flavour is a bit like a curd due to the eggs, so it is not super cranberryish. This would make a nice cake filling as it is a vibrant colour, holds a good cut and is stable for several days. i decorated edges of tart with whipped cream made using powdered whipped cram stabilizer so it looked great even when the leftovers were two days old. I used fresh cranberries which performed well. I doubled the cranberries for the topping (did not need extra sugar or water) which gave a more lavish cranberry look on top.</div>

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