Cranberry & Eggnog Custard Tarts
These tarts are… I can’t even describe them. They’re so lovely to look at, they’re impressively layered, and they taste incredible. Tart cranberry jelly and sweet eggnog custard sit inside a buttery crust and it truly doesn’t get any better than this. Admittedly, these are a project. It’ll take you the better part of a day OR you can stretch it out over three days and spend an hour or so each day on them. You can make the crust on day one, and store them in an airtight container until day two, when you make the eggnog custard and fill them. Then let the custard set overnight and on day three, make the cranberry jelly, top them, and decorate. In my opinion, the eggnog custard is the fiddliest part of this recipe- just go low and slow, and if it does end up kind of textured, give it a taste. As long as it doesn’t taste like eggs, just strain it through a sieve before putting it in the tart and no harm done at all :)
Note: these proportions make one 9-inch tart or six of the mini tarts pictured above. If you go the mini-tart route, just be aware that the baking time will be lower so make sure they don’t burn!
Ingredients:
Tart Crust:
1 1/4 cups (150g) flour
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Eggnog custard:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
Cranberry jelly:
12oz fresh cranberries
2 oranges (peels and juice)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
Optional
Fresh whipped cream, for serving
Sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs for decor
First, prepare your tart crust. In a medium bowl, combine your flour, sugar, and salt.
Work in the cold butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter, breaking it down into smaller pieces until the mixture has an almost breadcrumb-like appearance.
In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla, then mix them into the dough. Knead the dough gently for a minute or two until it comes together. Plastic-wrap it and chill for an hour or two until it feels firm.
When your dough is ready to use, press it gently into a 9 inch tart pan (ideally with a removable bottom) and do your best to get it smooth. You can press down on the bottom and against the sides with a flat bottomed glass to get rid of bumps. Trim the excess dough from above the walls of the pan and use those scraps to patch any holes.
Poke the tart dough all over with a fork and chill it for another half hour.
When your tart crust is done chilling, preheat your oven to 375F. Place a sheet of parchment paper full of pie weights or dried beans/rice on top of the tart crust to prevent it from puffing up in the oven.
Bake for about 15 minutes and then remove the sheet and pie weights (the bottom of the crust should look mostly dry at this point) and bake for another 10 minutes or so uncovered.
Set your tart crust aside to cool.
While the crust cools, make the eggnog custard. In a medium saucepan, combine your milk, heavy cream, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat.
While that comes to a simmer, in a medium (heat-safe) bowl stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the cornstarch, and the egg yolks.
Once the milk mixture comes to a simmer, remove it from the heat and add it to the egg yolk mixture a couple tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly. You want to err on the side of moving slowly here so as not to accidentally cook your eggs.
Once you’ve added nearly half of the milk mixture, pour the entire contents of the bowl back into the saucepan and return it to the stove over low heat.
Stir the mixture constantly with a spatula as it cooks (make sure to scrape the bottom and edges frequently) until it comes to a full boil (big popping bubbles in the middle). It should be very thick.
Remove the custard from the heat and let it cool about halfway, just enough to not steam the tart crust but NOT enough to set.
Pour the custard into the tart crust and smooth, then let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours or until the custard is firm and set.
While the custard sets, make the cranberry jelly. In a large saucepan, combine your cranberries, sugar, water, orange juice, and strips of orange peel/zest (just the orange part, none of the bitter white pith)
Mix together over medium heat as the sugar dissolved and the cranberries begin to pop. Simmer until all the cranberries have popped and the mixture has reduced and thickened, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the orange peels and use an immersion blender to blend the mixture to a more uniform consistency.
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. Let it cool at room temperature but mix it with a spoon every 10 minutes or so to make sure it doesn’t set.
Once the custard in the tart crust has set and the cranberry jelly is no longer hot, spoon the jelly over the curd and spread it evenly, smoothing as best you can. It should come up to the the top of your tart crust walls, or close.
Return the tart to the refrigerator and chill again until the cranberry jelly is completely set, 1-2 hours.
Once the jelly is firm to the touch, dollop whipped cream on top and garnish with sugared cranberries and sprigs of rosemary, if desired. Each slice should have distinct, clean layers of crust, custard, and cranberry jelly. Enjoy!