20 November 2007

Cranberry Lime Tart


Tip from Nemmie #87: If left too long in the microwave, white chocolate will catch on fire.

Just one of a few technical problems I had with this tart. Yes, I was too lazy to do the double-boiler thing over the stovetop, and nuked my white chocolate. And made my house smell very, very bad. I also bought a ganky bag of cranberries (shame on you, Oceanspray), so I didn't have enough for my tart. They don't completely cover the top in their ruby-jeweled glory as they are supposed to. And also, I think I baked my crust a wee bit too long, although I will blame this one on the new heating element in my oven not being calibrated correctly. So yeah, definitely not the most beautiful tart ever made.



Ahem. I got this recipe from epicurious.com, it was gorgeous looking and sounded really interesting. It is actually very easy, just has several steps. And the taste is definitely different: tart cranberries that pop in your mouth when you take a bite, surrounded by their sticky-sweet and spicy glaze, and perched on a deliciously sour lime curd and more sweet in the white chocolate layer. Plus a lovely almondy crust. Very interesting flavor combinations! And I think (if made with the correct number of cranberries) something that would look quite lovely on the Thanksgiving table. A nice change from the usual old pumpkin pie.

Cranberry Lime Tart




Ingredients:
Lime curd
1/2 c. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
3/4 c. sugar
6 large egg yolks
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 1/2 tsp. grated lime peel

Crust
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. whole almonds, toasted, cooled
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cranberry Topping
1/4 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2/3 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder (optional; I used a mixture of ground cloves and cinnamon) 1 12-oz. bag (3 cups) fresh cranberries or frozen, partially thawed

White Chocolate Cream
5 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. sour cream
1/2 tsp.vanilla extract

For lime curd: Whisk lime juice and cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk in sugar and yolks, then add butter. Whisk constantly over medium heat until mixture simmers and thickens, about 8 minutes. Strain into small bowl. Mix in lime peel. Cover; chill overnight.

For crust: Finely grind flour, sugar, almonds, and salt in processor. Add butter and vanilla; cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture just forms soft moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Using thumb, press dough up sides to extend 1/8 inch above rim of pan.

Freeze crust 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake crust until golden brown, pressing with back of spoon if crust bubbles, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely.

For cranberry topping: Whisk 1/4 cup water and cornstarch in heavy large saucepan to blend. Add sugar, honey, and five-spice powder, if desired. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to boil. Add cranberries; cook until mixture boils and berries just begin to pop but still maintain shape, occasionally stirring gently, about 5 minutes. Cool completely (mixture will thicken).

For white chocolate cream: Stir chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water; whisk in sour cream and vanilla. Cool completely. Spread white chocolate cream into crust; freeze 15 minutes.

Spoon curd over; spread evenly. Spoon cranberry topping by tablespoonfuls over, then spread carefully to cover completely. Cover and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Remove pan sides; transfer tart to platter.

6 comments:

Julia & Tyler said...

Yum, that sounds tasty! I've never made a tart before, I've been thinking about getting a tart pan.

lol at use of the word "ganky" :D I bought a bag of cranberries recently that don't look so great either.

Nemmie said...

Maybe it's a bad year for cranberries?? I was pretty bummed myself.

Get a tart pan! They look so pretty and fancy and for the most part, are quite easy. You'll have a lot of fun with it I promise :)

Peabody said...

Gorgeous tart...looks like little red jewels on top!

Patricia Scarpin said...

I'm terrified of melting chocolate in the microwave.
This tart is superb!

Sarah said...

I fell in love with this tart as soon as I saw your post. My crust is in the oven and all of the fillings are cooling in the fridge for assembly tomorrow. My family loves limes and cranberries and this just looked to good to pass up. We'll see how it all comes together. Thanks for posting!

Anonymous said...

wow, this looks beautiful and I love the idea of cranberry and lime flavor together! THis just might inspire me to tackle making my first tart ever.

Not a fan of white chocolate, do you think regular chocolate would work?

Cheers!