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    Home » Pies + Tarts

    Cranberry and Rosemary Curd Tart with Shortbread Crust

    Published on Dec 15, 2020 · Modified on Dec 18, 2020 by Kathryn - Leave a comment · 7 Comments

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    Infused with fresh rosemary, this cranberry curd tart with shortbread crust is a creamy and tart dessert to have on your holiday table.

    I love cranberries. Whether it's making cranberries into homemade cranberry sauce, my mom's cranberry muffins, or using cranberries to make a festive cocktail, November and December are the months of the cranberry around here. I try to cram as many meals incorporating them as possible -- and this time, I'm sharing a new dessert to add to your holiday table: a cranberry curd tart!

    horizontal picture of slices of cranberry curd tart cut on black slate plate with rosemary and cranberries.

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    This recipe has been adapted from a recipe from the New York Times. It's an amazing cranberry curd recipe that's sweet enough to eliminate the bitterness from the cranberries but not too sweet to hide how delicious cranberries are. There are a couple major and minor differences from their recipe and mine:

    • The addition of rosemary. I've included 3 sprigs of rosemary to cook with the cranberries. Some of the leaves fall off the sprig and make their way into your cranberry mixture. That's okay because the cranberries will all be processed then strained through a sieve. What's left is just a hint of rosemary to add a little more something something to the curd.
    • Shortbread crust. This is my favorite shortbread crust that I prefer with curd -- the same one I use with this meyer lemon curd tart. There's something really nice about a simple shortbread crust that's a great pairing with the curd. Maybe it's the buttery-ness? Or the simplicity with the tart curd? I don't know but it's amazing.
    • Processing of the cranberries to give the tart that vibrant color. You can get away with using the food processor for this recipe, but I wouldn't skip it because it makes the tart this brilliant bright pink color (that's all natural, of course).
    • Orange zest instead of peel. This allows the citrus flavor to shine through a little more than just using the peel of the orange. It makes for a bright and fresh flavor.
    side view of cranberry curd tart slices around rosemary sprigs and loose cranberries.

    How to Make Cranberry Curd

    First, heat your cranberries.

    First, simmer cranberries, sugar, rosemary, and orange juice and zest in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. When the cranberries have popped and started to become tender, remove the rosemary sprigs from the mixture and discard. It's okay if some of the rosemary leaves make their way to the mixture. You'll see why!

    Second, run cranberry mixture through a food processor then sieve.

    Transfer the mixture over to a food processor or use an immersion blender to pulverize the cranberries until they are liquidy. This will give the cranberry tart that beautiful, vibrant pink color. Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve until you're left with just the liquid.

    Third, whisk in butter then slowly add eggs and yolks.

    Whisk in the butter until combined. Slowly whisk in a few tablespoons of your egg mixture (eggs and yolks) to temper then whisk in the remaining eggs into the cranberry mixture.

    Next, place mixture back on stove until just starting to bubble. Let cool.

    Put all of this back on the stove (you can use the same saucepan used before...just clean it out if there's any remnants). Cook over low heat until the curd is just about to bubble. You do not want to boil the mixture. This will likely take about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

    Finally, place curd in shortbread crust and bake for 10 minutes at 250˚F.

    Spread the curd into the cooled shortbread crust. Smooth with a spatula, then bake for 10 minutes at 350˚. Cool to room temperature before enjoying with some whipped cream.

    6 slices of cranberry curd tart spread apart with dollop of whipped cream on top all against a black backdrop with cranberries and rosemary scattered around.

    Other Festive Holiday Desserts

    Try some of these other festive favorites of mine!

    • Santa Sugar Cookies
    • Homemade Peppermint Patties
    • Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Vanilla Maple Glaze
    • Chocolate Covered Oreo Reindeer
    four slices of cranberry tart lined up on black rectangular plate.

    Love and cranberries!

    xox,

    kathryn

    As always, if you make anything from the blog, be sure to let me know! I love hearing from you in the comments on this post below or find Worn Slap Out on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

    cranberry curd tart slices with dollop of whipped cream and cranberries scattered along black background with cranberries loose.

    Cranberry and Rosemary Curd Tart with Shortbread Crust

    Infused with fresh rosemary, this cranberry curd tart with shortbread crust is a creamy and tart dessert to have on your holiday table.
    4 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Colling Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10 slices
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    Ingredients

    For the shortbread crust:

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    For the cranberry curd:

    • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 3 sprigs of rosemary
    • Zest & juice from 1 orange (about ½ cup)
    • 8 tablespoons softened butter (1 stick)
    • 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" tart pan (the kind where the bottom comes out). Set aside.
    • Combine flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt. Set aside. Melt butter and vanilla extract in a small bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir butter into flour mixture with a spoon until all incorporated. Press mixture into the sides of the pan with your fingers then work your way to the middle, using a measuring cup to gently press down on crust to make sure crust is flat. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is just barely golden. Let cool.
    • While the crust bakes and cools, make the cranberry curd: Place cranberries, sugar, rosemary, and orange juice and zest in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries have popped and become tender, about 10 minutes. Remove sprigs of rosemary from the cranberries (it's okay if some of the leaves have fallen). Transfer mixture to a food processor and blend until well combined. Then press contents through a medium mesh sieve. Whisk the butter into the liquid.
    • Gently beat eggs and yolk into a bowl. Slowly whisk a few spoonfuls of warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper, then whisk in the remainder of the eggs. Quickly clean sauce pan you just used and return liquid to the pot. Cook over low heat until the curd is nearly bubbling, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
    • Pour cranberry curd into the cooled pre-baked shortbread crust and smooth top with a spatula. Bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes to set curd. Cool on a wire rack.

    Notes

    Store in the refrigerator. Cranberry curd will be delicious for 3 days.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @wornslapout or tag #wornslapout!
    cranberry curd tart with once large slice cut from it.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lisa

      November 27, 2023 at 6:08 pm

      2 stars
      Metric weights und measurements please!!

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        November 28, 2023 at 9:58 pm

        I'm sorry I don't use metric weights and measurements on this blog!

        Reply
    2. Ally

      November 24, 2024 at 11:48 pm

      For the curd, should the butter be unsalted (like for the crust) or salted?

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        November 25, 2024 at 9:00 am

        I use unsalted but I think it would be your preference. I'm not sure the salt would be too overpowering but have also never tried it with salted butter.
        <3,
        Kathryn

        Reply
    3. Ally

      November 25, 2024 at 1:49 pm

      Should the cranberry curd contain salted or unsalted butter?

      Reply
    4. Andrea Doughtie

      December 15, 2024 at 5:13 pm

      5 stars
      This is a wonderful recipe but the directions for increasing it-don’t work—the size of the tart
      pan, amt.of butter, etc.

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        December 16, 2024 at 2:54 pm

        Thanks for the heads up, Andrea. I rely on my recipe card company to help autogenerate the doubling or tripling of the recipes, so I will follow-up with them to see why this might be happening. So glad you loved it though!
        <3,
        Kathryn

        Reply

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    Welcome to Worn Slap Out, a Southern-inspired recipe corner for busy people on the go. As a mom of two littles who also loves food, I need meals on the table ASAP but I also want to eat well. Here, you'll find quick, easy, and reasonably healthy meals you can make in a flash. Other loves include Georgia football, cake of all kinds, and elastic waistbands.


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