Popped Cranberry Tart

Popped Cranberry Tart

Makes 1 tart

1/2 recipe Pâte Sucrée (see recipe below)

Pastry Cream Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cranberry Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup red currant jelly
1 orange, thoroughly washed
1 bag fresh cranberries, thoroughly washed

To make pastry cream, mix 1/4 cup sugar and all cornstarch in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add egg yolks and mix until a paste is formed. Stir in 1/2 cup milk.

Combine the remaining milk and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly pour hot milk mixture into egg mixture in bowl, whisking constantly. Pour combined mixture back into saucepan.

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 clean bowl. Cover with buttered parchment paper touching top of mixture and chill a minimum of 2 hours or as long as 2 days.

To make the cranberry filling, grate zest from about 3/4 of the orange. Place the zest, sugar, jelly, and juice from the orange in a 12-inch skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Add cranberries and cook, stirring often, just until the cranberries pop. Set aside to cool.

To assemble tart, spread chilled pastry cream evenly across the bottom of a fully baked tart shell (see recipe below) and top with cranberry filling. Chill in refrigerator until serving time.

Pâte Sucrée

Makes two 9- or 10- tart shells plus a few cookies

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

In an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and salt, and beat until combined. Add flour, all at once, and slowly mix just until flour is evenly moistened. You don't want to mix until a ball forms around beaters.

Transfer to a plastic bag and form dough into a 6-inch log. Seal bag, pressing out any air, and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours or as long as 4 days. (Well-wrapped dough may be stored in the freezer a month.)

Divide log in half for one tart shell. To roll, soften dough by pressing it in your hands until malleable. Form a 4-inch round disk. On a lightly floured board, roll from center out, lifting dough, turning slightly, and occasionally flipping to prevent sticking. Flour board as necessary. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness.

To line a tart pan, fold dough in half and lift. Place in pan, unfold, and gently press it evenly into bottom and up sides of pan. Create a lip at top by pressing dough between flutes of pan with your fingers as you pinch dough off at the edge. Then for an even crust, roll a rolling pin across top. Dough scraps can be used to patch short edges or holes, or for cookies. Chill 1/2 hour before baking.

To bake empty tart shell, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 20 minutes for a fully baked shell.