Cranberry Tart with Hazelnut Crust
“I’m not a baker and even I can make this tart pretty easily. It is very pretty and just screams holidayyyy with the color and flavor.”
Seunghee Jenny Park
Sr. AD - Experiential
Atlanta
What pairs best with this recipe?
A party at my house or at a friend’s. Allergen warning needs to come with the tart for the hazelnut… but definitely a crowd-pleaser. Goes nicely with a glass of bourbon sour or bourbon neat.
What were some of your 2024 obsessions?
“Ripley” (Netflix), initial energy behind Kamala / Walz campaign, Hermanos Gutiérrez (a band, I saw them twice this year.), paddleboarding, wknd trips.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:
FOR THE HAZELNUT CRUST
1¼cups/180 grams raw hazelnuts
1 cup/125 grams rice flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup/112 grams sugar
6 tablespoons/100 grams softened butter, more as necessary
FOR THE CRANBERRY CURD
12 ounces/340 grams cranberries
1 cup/225 grams sugar
Peel (orange part only) and juice of 1 orange (about ½ cup)
4 ounces/113 grams softened butter (1 stick)
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
Instructions:
Step 1
Make the crust: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Put hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until skins darken and crack. Put roasted nuts in a clean towel and rub off skins. Discard skins and let nuts cool.
Step 2
In a food processor, grind nuts with half the rice flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining rice flour and salt and pulse briefly.
Step 3
Cream sugar and butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon for a minute or two until pale and thick. Add nut mixture and combine until dough comes together. If it seems crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons softened butter or a little cold water.
Step 4
Press dough evenly into a 10-inch tart pan; use half the dough for the sides and half for the bottom. Prick bottom with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes (or several days if desired).
Step 5
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chilled tart shell about 15 minutes until lightly brown. Cool.
Step 6
While the crust bakes and cools, make the cranberry curd: Put cranberries, sugar and orange juice and peel in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries have popped and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food mill or medium mesh sieve and press cooking liquid and solids into a bowl. (Alternatively, for the most vibrant color, purée the cooked cranberry and orange mixture with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender. Press through a fine-mesh sieve.) Whisk the butter into the warm liquid.
Step 7
Put eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and beat lightly. Slowly whisk a cup of warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper, then combine both and whisk together. Wipe out pot if necessary, return liquid to pot and cook over low heat until nearly bubbling and thickened, about 10 minutes. If using immediately, let cool to room temperature. If working ahead, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap (press wrap against curd) and refrigerate. (Curd may be cooked up to 1 day ahead.)
Step 8
Pour cooled cranberry curd into the cooled prebaked tart shell and smooth top with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to set curd. Cool on a rack. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
