Cranberry Pecan Tart

Hot from the oven and looking fabulously delicious!

This recipe is great for staging in parts.  I pre-baked the tart shell the evening before Thanksgiving, and then on Thanksgiving morning filled the shell and baked.  Quite easy!  I also like the ingredients in the crust.  Rich and tasty but with a light crisp texture.  The combined flavors of the caramel sauce, cranberries and pecans are a real show stopper.  A real hit at our family Thanksgiving feast!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated November 2015

INGREDIENTS

TART DOUGH

1large egg yolk

1tablespoon heavy cream

½teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼cups (6 ¼ ounces) all-purpose flour

⅔cup (2 ⅔ ounces) confectioners' sugar

¼teaspoon salt

8tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and chilled

FILLING

¼cup water

1cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

⅔cup heavy cream

3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

½teaspoon lemon juice

½teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛teaspoon salt

6ounces (1 ½ cups) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

1 ¼cups pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

1. FOR THE TART DOUGH: Whisk egg yolk, cream, and vanilla together in bowl. Process flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over flour mixture; pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 15 pulses. With processor running, slowly add egg yolk mixture and process until dough just comes together, about 12 seconds.

2. Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap. Form dough into 6-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling.

3. Roll dough into 11-inch circle on lightly floured counter. (If dough becomes too soft and sticky to work with, slip it onto baking sheet and refrigerate until workable.) Place dough round on baking sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator but keep dough on sheet. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9‑inch tart pan with removable bottom, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into corners with your other hand.

5. Press dough into fluted sides of pan, forming distinct seam around pan’s circumference. (Finished edge should be 1/4 inch thick. If some sections of edge are too thin, reinforce them by folding excess dough back on itself.) Run rolling pin over top of tart pan to remove any excess dough. Wrap dough-lined pan loosely in plastic, place on large plate, and freeze until dough is firm, about 30 minutes, before using.

6. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Set dough-lined pan on rimmed baking sheet. Spray 1 side of double layer of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray. Press foil, sprayed side down, into pan, covering edges to prevent burning; fill with pie weights. Bake until tart shell is golden brown and set, about 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and carefully remove foil and weights. Let tart shell cool on sheet while preparing filling.

7. FOR THE FILLING: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour water into medium saucepan. Pour sugar into center of saucepan, taking care not to let it touch pan sides. Gently stir with rubber spatula to moisten sugar thoroughly. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until sugar is completely dissolved and liquid has faint golden color and registers 300 degrees, 6 to 10 minutes.

8. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar mixture turns dark amber and registers 350 degrees, 1 to 3 minutes. Off heat, slowly whisk in cream until combined (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously). Stir in butter, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt until combined. Add cranberries and pecans and stir gently to coat in caramel. Pour mixture into tart shell. Bake tart on sheet until filling is bubbling and nearly set (it should jiggle slightly when shaken), 25 to 30 minutes.

9. Transfer tart with sheet to wire rack and let cool completely in pan, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto serving platter. Serve.