Maybe you already know what you’re making for Thanksgiving dessert. But for all of the procrastinators in the audience, how about this cranberry linzer tart? It is a dream of a recipe that turned out pretty flawless on my first attempt. I like the use of walnuts in the tart dough and the tartness of the cranberry filling. Spices are great and they get the palate ready for Christmas flavors. The dough is fairly easy to work with though, as the recipe warns, you need to handle the lattice strips gently. You can make the filling and dough in advance, which is always a bonus at this time of year. And even better, this thing keeps well. It was just as good (better?) on day two and I ate some on day 3 and 4 and still enjoyed it. Anyway, this recipe is a keeper.
Hope everyone is looking forward to the holidays.
Cranberry Linzer Tart (recipe by Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit [1] —my only change was to increase salt in dough)
Filling
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1 pound fresh (or frozen) cranberries (This is sort of annoying because cranberries are sold in 12 oz bags. I think you could just use a 12 oz bag and be okay)
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1¼ cups granulated sugar
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1 tablespoon finely grated peeled ginger
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter
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Pinch of kosher salt
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1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Dough and Assembly
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1½ cups walnuts
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1 cup granulated sugar
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2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
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1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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¼ teaspoon ground cloves
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¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
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¼ teaspoon baking powder
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2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
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14 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
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2 large eggs
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Powdered sugar (for serving)
10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom
RECIPE PREPARATION
Filling:
Bring cranberries, sugar, ginger, butter, and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often to prevent scorching and help dissolve sugar. Continue to cook, stirring often, until cranberries burst, mixture is syrupy, and pot is visible when a wooden spoon is dragged across the bottom (mixture should be reduced to about 1¾ cups), 10–12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Chill until cold, at least 1 hour.
Filling can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to a nonreactive container; cover and chill.
Dough and Assembly:
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Let cool.
Pulse walnuts, granulated sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, salt, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, and 2 cups flour in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter and pulse until largest pieces are pea-size. Add 1 egg and process in long pulses until dough forms a ball around the blade. Divide dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic, flattening into a ½-inch thick disk. Press the remaining half into tart pan, working it across bottom and up sides with floured hands to create an even layer. Chill the dough in the pan and the wrapped dough until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Scrape filling into crust and spread into an even layer.
Unwrap remaining dough and roll out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent sticking, to a ⅛-inch thick round.
Cut dough into 8 strips.
Arrange strips over top of tart in a crosshatch pattern (this dough is delicate, so don’t fuss with strips too much once they’re on the tart). Pinch off excess dough and press strips into edges to adhere. Chill 15–20 minutes.
Beat remaining egg in a small bowl and brush over crust.
Bake tart until crust is golden brown around the edges and golden across surface and filling is bubbling, 40–55 minutes. Let cool.
Just before serving, remove ring from pan and dust tart with powdered sugar.