Chocolate Cranberry Tarts with Sugared Cranberries

Chocolate Cranberry Curd Tart with Sugared Cranberries

Servings: 18 tarts

Ingredients

Chocolate Tart Dough

• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• pinch salt
• 1 cup cold butter (2 sticks) cut into small pieces
• 2 egg beaten

Cranberry Curd

• 3 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Sugared Cranberries

• 1 cup cranberries or as many cranberries as you have tarts
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar or put your granulated sugar in your food processor a let it whirl for a minute or two.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 4 tsp water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Optional Garnish: Mint Leaves

Instructions

Chocolate Tart

• Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt into the bowl of food processor and pulse to mix.
• Add the butter all at once and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with just a few larger pieces
• Add egg and pulse until dough holds together when pinched
• Divide dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Preheat oven to 350'
• Once fully chilled, take one disc out of the refrigerator and let sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes. Very lightly flour counter or silicone mat and roll dough out to slightly less than 1/4". I use my pastry mat on the bottom and my silicone mat on the top and bottom, eliminating the need for too much flour.
• Cut out and fit into mini tart pan and return to refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  
• Gather scraps together and re-chill for 20 minutes to repeat the process.
• Add baking beans, rice or pie weights to each tart and bake at 350' for 10-15 minutes.
• Let cool on wire racks. Once cool, store in air tight container until ready to be filled.

Cranberry Curd

• Place the cranberries and water in a medium-sized sauce pot over medium-high heat and stir. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until all the cranberries have popped and become mushy, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the cranberries into a food mill or fine-meshed strainer set over a medium-sized mixing bowl and press the cranberry puree through using a spatula. Discard the skins.
• Allow the puree to cool to room temperature.
• Add the sugar, eggs and yolks, lemon juice and salt to the puree and stir thoroughly until the mixture is even.
• Return the mixture to the saucepan and set the burner to medium. Stir the curd continuously, making sure to scrape the bottom and side of the pan. Cook until the curd starts to thicken, coats the back of a spoon, and registers about 150°, give or take, on an instant-read thermometer. This should take 10-12 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter all at once. Stir until the butter has completely melted
• The curd can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to be used.

Sugared Cranberries

• Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes
• Reduce heat to medium low, add cranberries and swirl pan for 1 minute over the heat. Don't increase heat or your cranberries will pop.
• Remove from heat and using a slotted spoon place your cranberries over a rack over a cookie sheet. Let sit for 1 hour
• If you are using regular granulated sugar, then run your sugar through your food processor for a minute or two to make it superfine-ish.
• Gently toss the cranberries in the sugar and let sit to dry for another hour.

These cranberries will only keep for a day before they start oozing their juices, so make them right before you will be serving them.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

• Place cold water in small microwaveable bowl, sprinkle gelatin over it and let it sit for 5 minutes while you continue with the next step
• Add heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment
• Once gelatin is set, place the gelatin bowl in microwave and heat until gelatin turns to liquid, about 7-10 seconds.
• Turn on mixer and let it run for about 1 minute on medium. Turn the mixer on high and very slowly pour in the melted gelatin in a thin but steady stream.
• Continue beating cream until you reach medium-stiff peaks. Spread or pipe whipped cream as desired.

Construct Tarts

• Tart shells and curds can be made days ahead, but tarts should be assembled shortly before serving.
• Preheat oven to 350'
• Put small dollops of curd into each tart shell
• Bake for 10-15 minutes
• Let cool over rack until fully cooled.
• Pipe or dollop a wee bit of whipped cream
• Place a sugared cranberry and a mint leaf on each tart.

Pics and printable recipe available at:Nourish and Nestle

bon appetit