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Brown-Butter Cranberry Tart
5 from 3 votes

Brown-Butter Cranberry Tart

 It's an established fact that browned butter makes everything taste better. Especially when we're talking about a tart smothered in delicious cranberries.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 10 mins
Chill Time
4 hrs
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 618 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the tart shell:
  • 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tick butter cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, unsalted
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 large egg yolk
For the filling:
  • 3/4 cup butter 1 and 1/2 sticks, unsalted
  • 1 vanilla bean split, seeds scraped (or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste )
  • 3 large egg
  • 1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon
  • 1 teaspoon lemon finely grated zest
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Cranberry Sauce:
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 oz package cranberries (3 & 1/2 cups) fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Make the tart shell first: Add the flour, sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine. (Or whisk it together in a bowl.) Add the butter and pulse about 4 or 5 one-second bursts until it is the size of small peas. (Use a pastry cutter if you don't have a food processor.)
  2. In a small bowl, whisk the cream with the egg yolk. Pour the cream mixture into the food processor all at once, and pulse in short bursts (again, about 4 or 5 one-second bursts) until moist crumbs form. (Or just use a spoon)
  3. Turn the pastry out onto a work surface and pat into a disk. Do not knead, just get it into the disk and stop messing with it. There should be visible chunks of butter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until chilled.
  4. On a floured countertop, a floured silpat, or floured parchment paper, roll out the tart shell 1/8 inch thick. Fit the pastry into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom; trim the overhanging pastry. I highly recommend parchment paper; then you can just flip the whole thing over onto the tart pan.
  5. Patch any cracks with the pastry trimmings. Refrigerate the tart shell for about 30 minutes, or until it is chilled.
  6. Preheat your oven to 375. Line the tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans, making sure that the crust is not covered. Bake for about 22-25 minutes, until the rim is just barely turning golden. Take it out of the oven, remove the foil and weights. Bake for about 10 minutes longer, until lightly golden all over, or until it no longer looks doughy on top. Set the tart pan on a baking sheet.
  7. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt the butter with the vanilla bean and seeds (or vanilla bean paste). Cook over medium heat until the butter starts to turn golden and smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Here is a great tutorial if you've never browned butter before.
  8. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar, as well as the lemon zest. Pour the brown butter into the egg mixture and whisk until incorporated. Whisk in the flour and salt. Pour the filling into the tart shell and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until golden and set. Err on the side of undercooking. If your tart crust looks like it's going to start burning a few minutes after the suggested bake time, just take it out. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 2 hours.
  9. In a medium pot, stir together 1 cup of sugar with the cranberries and water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the cranberries have just split and the sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. Scrape the cranberries into a bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
  10. Using a slotted spoon, arrange the cranberries on the tart. (Save the liquid and put it on ice cream!) Cut and serve!

Notes

  • Make ahead: You can make this tart the day before you serve it. Keep it out on the counter, covered. The cranberries can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before using. Also, this tart is made in a 10-inch pan, but I used a 9 1/2 inch. It worked fine, I just had to discard a little bit of the filling so that it didn't overflow.
  • Source: Food and Wine

Nutrition Information

Serving 1slice Calories 618kcal (31%) Carbohydrates 74g (25%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 34g (52%) Saturated Fat 21g (105%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 9g (45%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 179mg (60%) Potassium 73mg (2%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 53g (106%) Vitamin A 1126IU (23%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 32mg (3%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 618

% Daily Value*

Serving 1slice
Calories 618kcal 31%
Carbohydrates 74g 25%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 34g 52%
Saturated Fat 21g 105%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 9g 45%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 179mg 60%
Potassium 73mg 2%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 53g 106%
Vitamin A 1126IU 23%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 32mg 3%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.