Cranberry Curd Tart

Welcome to Christmas time! I’ve brought you a lovely and perfectly festive dessert to kick off the holiday season. Introducing Cranberry Curd Tart. She’s sassy, classy, and just a bit brassy. All the qualities you want in your Christmas dessert to get people talking.

When this time of year rolls around, I can’t help but think of memorable times of past Christmases, like the time my husband flooded Christmas or the time I had food poisoning and still had to cook for our Christmas Eve party. That was fun. One memory that actually was funny at the time it occurred happened in Nicaragua many years ago.

My brother and I were teenagers and spent the holidays visiting with our mom’s side of the family in Nicaragua. On Christmas Eve, we exchanged gifts with cousins, aunts, and uncles. My Aunt Dolores got unintentionally creative with her packaging that year. She wrapped gifts in boxes she found around the house. To this day, I don’t know if she had run out of real gift boxes or was trying to be thrifty.

Anyway, as we unwrapped our presents, we all looked slightly confused. Although, I have to say…the girls mostly ignored the odd boxes and just kept opening the gifts. The boys, on the other hand, had a different reaction. Let me start off by saying my brother is two years older than me. His gift was wrapped in a box of Corn Flakes. I can still see the look on his face when he unwrapped it, but what I most remember is what he said to my aunt, “Thank you. I really like this cereal”. I looked at him with a look of open-mouthed disbelief (as annoying little sisters do) and said (probably in very sarcastic tone followed by eye-rolling), “Your gift is not cereal. Open it!”  There was a shirt inside the cereal box. One of my other male cousins had a similar reaction, except he thanked my aunt for a bulk case of Duracell batteries. Boys! 🙂

Back to the dessert at hand. I can’t tell you how much I love the way this Cranberry Curd Tart came out. It’s a winner, both in looks and taste. It reminds me a little of Key Lime Pie, even though there’s no lime or lemon in it. It’s made with easy-to-find ingredients and has a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.

The crust is made with almond flour and flavored with almond extract, which I discovered pairs amazingly well with cranberry. It tastes like a holiday sugar cookie. It also happens to be gluten free, which I’m so happy about because it means my gluten free friends don’t have to miss out. Oh, and it comes together in 5 minutes and requires no rolling. Just press into a tart pan (or a pie pan) and that’s it.

The filling is made by briefly cooking fresh cranberries, apple juice, sugar, and vanilla extract (similar to the way cranberry sauce is made). Once the cranberries have popped open and the mixture has thickened a bit, it is puréed in a food processor. You can also use a blender or smoothie maker if you don’t have a food processor. To get a nice smooth curd, it is then strained through a fine mesh strainer.

Then, the curd is poured into the partially-baked crust and is baked for 15-20 minutes. It cools on a wire rack and is ready for decorating. I decorated mine with powdered sugar and kiwi roses. Here’s what I learned while decorating –

• Do not sift the powdered sugar on it until serving time (if you want to use powdered sugar) because it immediately wants to soak into the curd and it will not look pretty (at all). I may just opt for a whipped cream decoration next time.
• Do not be clumsy like me and drop a spoon into the middle of the tart. It will dictate where you have to place your kiwi roses to cover the crater you made. Originally, my plan was to place them on the side.
• Kiwi roses are easier to make than you think…

This tart looks beautiful on its own because of its rich, red color. But, if you want to be “extra” with your food, like me, you can make these kiwi roses. I had never made them before this, but I can tell tell you it’s easier than it looks. Just peel the kiwis, cut them in half lengthwise and then thinly slice each half. You then fan them out as in the picture above and roll into a spiral as tightly as possible. Each half makes one flower. Buy a couple of extra kiwis just in case. Place them on the tart right at serving time. You can make them a couple of hours before serving and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Move them around using a flat spatula (metal works best since it’s thin).

This Cranberry Curd Tart is a unique and delicious alternative to traditional holiday desserts. And, it’s so pretty! Everyone in my family loved it. It’s perfect for Christmas and simple to make. Stay tuned for more Christmas treats in the weeks to come.

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