Cranberry Tart

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With its flaky crust and no-bake filling, this festive tart is a holiday win.

Cranberry Tart
Photo:

Bryan Gardener

Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
55 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 20 mins
Servings:
8 to 10

This easy cranberry tart recipe combines a flaky, buttery crust with a tangy, no-bake filling for a truly unique holiday dessert. You’ll use a half recipe of our pâte brisée for the crust. It's blind baked until golden brown before the filling is added. Speaking of the filling, it contains a whopping six cups of fresh cranberries along with red currant jelly and a splash of cognac for depth. Gelatin gives it a jelly-like texture, which firms up to sliceable perfection in just one hour. This tart makes a delicious finale to the Thanksgiving meal, and is a winning recipe to bring to parties and potlucks all autumn and winter long.

Cranberry Tart Ingredients

Pâte brisée: Our buttery, flaky pâte brisée crust is the perfect foil to the sweet-tart cranberry filling. You'll only need a half recipe, so you can save the other dough round for a future baking project. (Pro tip: It freezes beautifully.)

Cranberries: We love making this recipe with fresh cranberries when they're in season, but you can also use frozen berries with great success. Be sure not to cook them for too long in step 6 as doing so can cause the filling to become watery.

Red currant jelly: This traditional English condiment has a sweet and tangy taste that's similar to cranberry sauce. If you can't find red currant jelly for this recipe, you can swap in an equal amount of apple jelly instead.

Cognac: A couple tablespoons of cognac, an aged brandy, adds depth and complexity to the cranberry filling. If you'd prefer to not include it, you can swap in an equal amount of grape or apple juice.

Gelatin: Before adding gelatin to your recipe, it must be hydrated by combining it with water; this is also called "blooming," and takes just a few minutes. Combining it with the warm filling helps the gelatin to evenly disperse, giving you an even finished texture.

Ingredients

Crust

Filling

  • ½ cup cold water

  • 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

  • 6 cups fresh cranberries

  • 1 3/4 to 2 cups sugar, to taste

  • 1 cup red currant jelly

  • 2 tablespoons cognac

Directions

  1. Roll out crust; fit into pan:

    Crust: On a lightly floured work surface, roll pate brisee into a 13-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into a 10-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Fold edges toward center to reinforce; press into sides of tart ring.

  2. Pierce dough; chill:

    Pierce bottom of tart shell all over with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

  3. Heat oven; add pie weights to crust and bake:

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Uncover and line tart shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are set and golden, about 20 minutes.

  4. Remove weights and continue to bake; let cool:

    Remove weights and parchment and continue baking until bottom of crust is dry and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

  5. Bloom gelatin:

    Filling: Place cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.

  6. Cook cranberry mixture; add gelatin:

    Combine cranberries, sugar, jelly, and cognac in a saucepan and cook over low heat 12 to 15 minutes. Do not overcook or the mixture will become too watery; cranberries should be soft but not bursting. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in gelatin and let cool completely.

  7. Add filling to crust; chill:

    Pour cranberry filling into tart shell and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Storage

Leftover cranberry tart can be covered and refrigerated for up to three days. Note that the crust may soften the longer it is stored.

More Cranberry Dessert Recipes to Try:

Updated by
Esther Reynolds
Headshot of Esther Reynolds
Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and freelance writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.

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