Flakey Cranberry Walnut Tart Recipes

CHRISTMAS CRANBERRY GALETTE

Steps:

• Make the dough for the Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust with modifications as noted above.
• Macerate the Cranberries:
• A minimum of 1 1/2 hours and a maximum of 24 hours ahead of baking, in a medium bowl, place the superfine sugar (reserve 1 teaspoon for the border) and the light brown sugar and use your fingertips to combine them and rub out any lumps of brown sugar. Cut each cranberry in half and add them to the sugar mixture. Stir the mixture well and set it aside for 1 hour at room temperature or, preferably, overnight in the refrigerator.
• Stir the cranberry mixture well, then stir in the walnuts.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. If not using a black pan, plan to bake the galette directly on the oven floor; alternatively, set an oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or cookie sheet on it before preheating.
• Using a floured pastry cloth and rolling pin sleeve rubbed with flour, or two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap,*** roll the pastry to a circle roughly 18 inches in diameter. Using an expandable flan ring or a cardboard template and a sharp knife as a guide, cut out a 16-inch circle. If the dough softens, slip it (still on the cloth or plastic wrap) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes, covered, until firm before lining the pan. The pastry is too large to slip your hands under and support adequately. To transfer it to the pan, roll it loosely over the rolling pin or dust it lightly with flour and fold in quarters. Leave the overhang.
• Scatter the cranberry mixture evenly over the dough, covering a 13-inch area and leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the overhanging border of dough over the outer edge of the cranberries, using your fingers to pleat it loosely at even intervals. Brush this border with a little milk or water and sprinkle on the reserved sugar. (This will give the border a crunchy texture.)
• Cut a 10-inch round of foil and place it gently over the cranberries, leaving the crust uncovered. Bake the galette for 30 minutes.
• Place a second round of foil large enough to cover the filling and the crust border loosely over the tart and continue baking for about 10 minutes more or until the bottom crust is golden brown. (Slip a small angled metal spatula or flexible knife under the edge of the tart, lifting it slightly, to check doneness.) Cool the tart on the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes or until warm. Dust with powdered sugar.
• Store:
• Room temperature, up to 2 days.
• Note:
• A half-size galette can be made using a 9-inch pan. Roll the dough less than 1/8 inch thick and large enough to cut an 11-inch circle.
• Understanding:
• The challenge with this particular berry tart is to keep the cut cranberries from drying out without underbaking the crust, which would make it soggy. The solution is to make a temporary top "crust" from foil and to bake the tart on a baking stone or directly on the floor of the oven.
• Cutting the cranberries in half and allowing them to sit with the sugar allows them to absorb the sugar. With their tough outer peel, whole cranberries would retain most of their juices, so they would not dissolve the sugar fully. This would cause the bitterness of the cranberry to stand apart from the sugar, rendering the final effect too bitter and too sweet simultaneously.
• The crust must be prepared without baking powder, as the weight of the cranberrry/nut mixture would not be sufficient to keep it from puffing.
• ***You may have to overlap sheets of plastic wrap to roll the dough large enough.

CRANBERRY WALNUT TARTLETS

Steps:

• Prepare tart shells: In an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and salt, and beat until combined. Add flour all at once, and slowly mix just until flour is evenly moistened. You don't want to mix until a ball forms around the beaters.
• Transfer to a plastic bag and form into a 6 inch log. Seal bag, pressing out any air, and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours or as long as 4 days.
• Divide log into 8 parts. On a lightly floured board, roll dough into rounds to fit 8 individual tart pans, 3 inch round x 1 inch deep. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. Chill tart shells for 1/2 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line tart shells with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake 10 minutes, remove foil and weights and bake shells 5 minutes longer. Remove and cool.
• Prepare tart filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter and orange zest. Divide walnuts and cranberries evenly among the partially baked tart shells. Pour sugar mixture over walnuts and cranberries.
• Bake tarts 20 to 25 minutes or until crusts are golden. The edge of the filling will be firmer than the center. Cool tarts of wire racks and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove cooled tarts from pans and serve.

CRANBERRY NUT TARTS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the butter and cream cheese. Mix in the flour until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• While the dough chills, make the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Press the balls into the cups of mini muffin pans so that the dough covers the bottom and sides. Fill each one with a generous teaspoon of the filling.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges of the tarts are lightly browned.

CRANBERRY WALNUT TART

Steps:

• Make shell:.
• Roll out dough into a 13-inch round (1/8 inch thick) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin and fit into tart pan. Trim edge of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then chill 30 minutes.
• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights.
• Bake until pastry is set and pale golden on rim, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until pale golden all over, 5 to 10 minutes more. Transfer shell in pan to a rack.
• Make filling:.
• Move oven rack to middle position and reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth, then stir in cranberries and walnuts.
• Pour filling into shell and bake tart until filling is set and golden, 40 to 45 minutes. (If pastry edge darkens before tart is done, cover edge with a pie shield or foil.) Cool completely in pan on rack.

NUT-CRUSTED CRANBERRY TART

Steps:

• Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Combine cranberries, sugar, jelly, and cognac in a saucepan and cook over low heat until cranberries are soft but not bursting, 12 to 15 minutes. Do not overcook or the mixture will become too watery. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in gelatin mixture and let cool completely.
• Pour cranberry filling into cooled tart shell and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

NANTUCKET CRANBERRY TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar and almonds. Transfer to a greased 11-in. fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Place on a baking sheet., In a small bowl, beat the eggs, butter, extract and remaining sugar. Beat in flour just until moistened (batter will be thick). Spread evenly over berries. , Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.