Cranberry Sweetheart Tart Food

CRANBERRY TARTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Combine flour, 3/4 cup butter and cream cheese in small bowl. Beat at medium speed in until dough forms a ball.
• Divide dough into 36 equal pieces. Place 1 piece of dough into each ungreased mini muffin pan cup. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of cup.
• Combine sugar, pecans, egg, 1/4 cup butter and vanilla in small bowl. Place 4 or 5 cranberry halves in each pastry-lined cup. Spoon 2 teaspoons sugar and pecan mixture over cranberries.
• Bake 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. Loosen tarts from pan while hot by running knife around inside of rim. Cool completely. Remove from pans.
• Combine powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk for desired drizzling consistency in small bowl; mix well. Drizzle over cooled tarts.

POPPED CRANBERRY TART

Steps:

• Nut Crust: Mix butter, sugar, pecans, whole egg, egg yolk, and salt with a wooden spoon until barely blended. Add flour and knead until a small ball forms. Wrap in plastic and chill about 4 hours.
• After chilling dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thickness or divide into 8 parts and press into 8 individual tart pans, 3-inch round x 1 inch deep. The crust should be thick.
• Bake empty tart shells 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile make pastry cream, and prepare berries.
• Pastry Cream: Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. Add egg yolks and mix until a paste is formed. Stir in 1/2 cup milk.
• Combine remaining milk and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Pour hot mixture into mixture in bowl, whisking constantly. Pour back into pan.
• Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick. Remove from heat and stir an additional minute. Stir in vanilla and transfer to a bowl. Cover with buttered parchment paper touching top and chill a minimum of 2 hours or as long as 2 days.
• Cranberries: Combine sugar, jelly and orange zest in sauce pan and boil until thick, about 5 minutes. Fold in cranberries, and cook another 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then assemble tart.
• To Assemble: Spread prepared nut crust with a layer of chilled pastry cream and top with cooled cranberries. Serve chilled.

CRANBERRY WALNUT TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the sweet dough: Place the sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the paddle attachment, beat the ingredients until creamy. Add flour and salt and mix until just combined. Add egg and again mix until just combined. Alternately, this can be done in a food processor. Form a disk out of the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour. When dough is slightly chilled, lay it between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and with a rolling pin, roll it out into a round ? about 1/8-inch in thickness. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and flip the dough into an ungreased tart or pie pan. With the plastic wrap still on the dough, gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Use the rolling pin to roll across the top of the tart pan, cutting off excess dough. Remove plastic wrap and set lined pan aside while making the filling. Excess unbaked dough can be rolled out, sprinkled with sugar, and baked as sugar cookies or can be wrapped and frozen for another day.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the Cranberry Walnut Filling: Melt butter and set aside. In a bowl, blend together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the butter, and stir until well combined.
• Pour into tart shell and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until tart is light brown and the filling has set. Cool and remove tart from ring. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate. Tart keeps for about 1 week in the refrigerator. It can be well wrapped and frozen for later use.

CRANBERRY COCONUT TARTS

Steps:

• Place about 5 cranberries into each tart shell.
• Combine egg, sugar, butter, vanilla, and coconut. Spoon filling over cranberries.
• Bake at 325F for 20 to 25 minutes or until rich brown in colour.
• (If using 2-inch tarts place 3 cranberries in each tart shell.).