Cranberry & Grapefruit Tart with Rose water (optional)

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What is it like?

- Fruity and full of flavor

- Silky smooth

- A professional look

NOTE: the photo above is an adapted version of the recipe. The recipe below is for a full size tart and it has a beautiful pink color. If you’d like a deep “cranberry color”, you can add a drop of red food coloring. And, If you like, you can also ma…

NOTE: the photo above is an adapted version of the recipe. The recipe below is for a full size tart and it has a beautiful pink color. If you’d like a deep “cranberry color”, you can add a drop of red food coloring. And, If you like, you can also make tartlets, just keep in mind that the bake time will be shorter than a large tart because they are small.

 

Recipe

Makes one 10 inch (25cm) tart; active prep 1 hour, cooling time 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

1 tart shell (recipe here)
12 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen
Juice and zest from one grapefruit (about 1/4-1/2 cup juice)
1/4 cup water, 59ml
3/4 cup sugar, 172g (measure cups to check g)
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
8 tbsp butter or Earth Balance spread, 113g

Optional: 1 tsp rose water or orange blossom water


Directions:

  1. Prepare a 9 or 10-inch (23-25cm) tart crust and bake until it is just beginning to darken and turn tan on the edges. The tart crust can bake while you prepare the filling.

  2. Zest and juice the grapefruit.

  3. Heat the cranberries, sugar and 1/4 cup of grapefruit juice in a pan over medium heat until all the cranberries pop and the mixture softens, about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture, pressing it with a spoon to extract as much juice/puree as possible. The liquid should measure 1 cup—if needed add more grapefruit juice to make 1 cup of liquid. (You can reserve the sweetened cooked cranberries to use in scones, bread, or as a jam.)

  4. Next, stir in 1/4 cup water. Once the mixture is slightly cooled, warm and not hot, whisk in the eggs and zest. If the mixture is hot, allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes before whisking in the eggs.

  5. When the tart shell is done par-baking, preheat the oven to 325F / 165C.

  6. Heat the egg mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a heat proof spatula until it reaches 165F / 74C on an instant read thermometer. Strain the mixture and stir in the rose water (if using) and butter. Allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

  7. Ideally, the tart shell is just coming out of the oven after the filling is cooled, so that once the mixture is poured in, it starts to cook and has less of an opportunity to seep into the crust. If the tart is already par-cooked and cooled, put it back into the oven for a few minutes just until it is hot. Then pour the mixture into the prepared tart. Bake until the middle section is jello-like when the tart is jostled. Allow the tart to cool at room temperature and then place it in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.

  8. This tart is delicious with a dollop of whipped cream or whipped coconut cream.


Notes:
Another way to experiment with flavor for this recipe is to leave out the rose water and to substitute 1/4 cup of Chambord for the 1/4 cup of water. This liquor is a subtle but delicious addition.

This tart has a nice sour kick, like lemon bars. If you prefer it to be mellower, as I do, without filling the dessert with more sugar, simply let the tart sit in the fridge for a day or two. It keeps for several days, and I think it gets better as it ages. The tart shell will soften by the next day, which I think is a nice variation to the crispy tart shell that most of us expect.