Cranberry Hazelnut Cream Cheese Tart Food

CRANBERRY-LEMON TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Whisk the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers until a soft dough forms. Firmly press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick the crust in a few spots with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, 10 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the dough with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are set, about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and continue to bake until the crust is dry and lightly browned, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Make the filling: Combine 3 cups cranberries, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water in a blender. Remove 5 wide strips of zest from the lemon using a vegetable peeler; set the strips aside. Fully peel the lemon, removing any white pith. Add the peeled lemon and 2 strips of zest to the blender and blend until smooth (reserve the remaining 3 strips of zest for topping). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan, pressing on the seeds and skins with a rubber spatula. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolk, cornstarch and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot cranberry mixture, then pour into the saucepan with the remaining cranberry mixture, whisking. Continue to cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the filling boils and is thick like pudding, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into the crust, cover with plastic wrap or an inverted plate and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Make the toppings: Bring 1/2 cup each water and granulated sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cranberries and 3 strips of lemon zest, then remove from the heat and let cool. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Thinly slice the zest. Put the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a shallow dish, add the cranberries and zest and gently toss to coat. Let set, 30 minutes to 1 hour, shaking occasionally to re-coat.
• Beat the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until medium peaks form. Top the tart with the sugared cranberries and lemon zest. Serve with the whipped cream.

HOLIDAY CRANBERRY-HAZELNUT TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Arrange tart shells on the prepared cookie sheets.
• Chop hazelnuts and cranberries into small pieces by hand or in a food processor.
• Melt butter in a heat-proof bowl set in a pan of water heated to just below simmering. Remove the bowl from the heat, add brown sugar, salt, and cloves, and stir until sugar is absorbed. Beat in eggs. Stir in corn syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract.
• Return bowl to the heat and stir constantly until mixture measures 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Immediately remove from the heat and stir in hazelnuts and cranberries. Use a tablespoon to scoop the warm mixture into tart shells.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and set, about 25 minutes.

CRANBERRY CURD TART

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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).
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chilled tart shell about 15 minutes until lightly brown. Cool.
• 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.
• 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.)
• 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.

EASY CRANBERRY FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with baking spray and place on a sheet pan.
• Combine the cookie crumbs, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor or medium bowl and pulse or mix until combined. Add the butter and blend until moistened. The mixture should clump together in your hand; if it seems dry, mix in 1 teaspoon water until combined.
• Evenly press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake until the center of the crust looks dry, about 12 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• For the filling: Beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat a few seconds more. Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition (don't worry if the mixture looks thin). Add the almond flour and all-purpose flour and mix on low until completely combined.
• Pour the frangipane into the warm crust and smooth it out towards the edges -- it's fine if it melts a little. Place the cranberry halves on top, pushing them in just slightly.
• Bake the tart at 350 degrees F until golden and set (not jiggly) and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 43 to 45 minutes. Let the tart cool completely on the rack before removing the outer ring and placing the tart on a platter. Dust the edges of the tart lightly with confectioners' sugar, then sprinkle the toasted almond slices around the edges of the tart.

CRANBERRY HAZELNUT CREAM CHEESE TART

Steps:

• For Cranberry Filling:
• In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine all the ingredients for the cranberry filling. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries start to pop and the filling thickens. Remove from heat when most of the berries are soft. Let cool completely.
• For the Tart Dough:
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of a rectangular or 9-inch round tart pan with baking spray.
• In a food processor, pulse together the almond meal, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Add in half of the butter and pulse for a few seconds. Add in the rest of the butter and pulse until pea-sized. Add in the whisked egg yolk and pulse until the dough starts to form.
• Turn out dough onto a clean surface and, using your hands, knead together until dough comes together.
• Press dough into the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Evenly spread and make sure there are no raised areas. Using a fork, poke the tart all around. Pre-bake dough for 8 to 10 minutes and let cool while you prepare the filling.
• For the Cream Cheese Filling:
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed until cream cheese is light and creamy. Add in the rest of the ingredients and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes until well combined.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cranberry filling into the cream cheese mixture. I mix mine only one or two turns so I will get a swirled effect. If you don't care about the look, stir it well.
• Assembly:
• Pour the cream cheese-cranberry mixture into the pre-baked tart shell. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cheesecake sets.
• Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small saucepan combine the cranberries, 1/4 cup of white sugar and the orange juice.
• Cook, uncovered over medium heat until the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens just a bit, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
• Set aside.
• In a food processor combine the cream cheese, remaining sugar, egg, egg white and vanilla or almond extract.
• Process until smooth.
• Set aside.
• Spray a 9-inch tart pan with the cooking spray.
• Lightly spray 1 sheet of phyllo dough, fold in h alf and gently press into tart pan.
• Edges will extend over edge.
• Repeat and place second sheet across first in a criss-cross pattern.
• Repeat with remaining two sheets so that all of the tart pan is covered.
• Turn under edges and bake for 5 minutes.
• Spoon cream cheese mixture into phyllo crust, spreading evenly.
• spoon Cranberry mixture over cream cheese mixture, spreading evenly.
• Using a fork marble slightly but dont go too deep.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Let cool for 1 hour on a wire rack.
• Cover and chill for 4 hours.
• Remove and drizzle on both kinds of melted chocolate.
• Garnish with candied orange peel.
• Serve.