This beautiful recipe came to me from www.smittenkitchen.com - what my blog will one day look like when it grows up! Smitten Kitchen cited Maury Rubin, chef-owner of City Bakery for this recipe. She also said it was one of her TOP FIVE FAVORITES....now that's high praise - and I just couldn't let go of this.....knowing this recipe is in someone's all time time top five - well, I just had to make it to see if it would be in MY top five....or if this person has a screw loose with her taste buds....
(my thoughts on my taste test are below.)
First you should go to her website and read the problems she had with her crust - it kept shrinking on her. So I decided that I would use my pie weights - those things I spent a ton of money on that I've never used - this was the perfect debut for them. I followed the directions on the pie weight box....placed the pastry dough in the tart pan and then placed foil on top of the pastry and then put in the weights.....there was no way my beautiful crust was going to shrink....and it didn't shrink...instead it was totally undercooked and the foil practically steamed the dough!
As I tried to remove the weights and the foil so I could put it back in the oven to "lightly brown" the crust as the recipe instructs, I thought I could just tilt the pan and the weights would run out - and they did - and then the crust fell out too! Well, not all of it but half of it! So I carefully pieced it back together, squished it with a fork and except for the tell-tell edges, I did okay! So back in the oven it went and it maybe shrank a little - but not much.
Standard Tart Dough
13 Tablespoons (1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolkl
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tablespoon cream
1. Let the butter sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until malleable.
2. Place the powdered sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the pieces of butter and toss to coat. Using a paddle attachment with a standing mixer, combine the sugar and butter at medium speed, until the sugar is no longer visible.
3. Add the egg yolk and combine until no longer visible.
4. Scrape down the butter off the sides of the bowl. Add half of the flour, then begin mixing again until the dough is crumbly. Add the remaining flour and then the cream and mix until the dough forms a sticky mass.
5. Flatten the dough into a thick pancake, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours before preparing to roll out the dough.
6. Lightly butter a 9-inch pastry ring (or fluted tart pan) and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a nonstick Silpat pad.
7. Once the dough has thoroughly chilled, cut it in half, then cut each piece in half lengthwise. Rotate the dough 90 degreses and repeat, until you have 16 equal pieces. Work quickly with the dough so that it remains chilled. Sprinkle your work surface with a thin layer of flour. Knead the pieces of dough together until it forms one new mass and shape it into a flattened ball. Flour a rolling pin and sprinkle flour again on the work surface underneath the dough. Roll out the dough into a circle one-eighth-inch thick.
8. To easily transfer the dough into the ring or tart pan, fold it in half gently, then in quarters. Move the folded dough to the tart ring or pan, with the point of the dough in the center, then unfold it, gently patting the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the ring. Trim the edges so that they are flush with the top of the ring. Dock the dough witha pastry docker or prick the dough all over with a fork.
9. Put the baking sheet and the pastry ring into the freezer for 1 hour.
10. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the baking sheet and ring in the oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before filling.
Filling and assembly:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into eight pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup frozen cranberries
2 cup unblanched sliced almonds
1. Measure the cream and butter into a saucepan and heat it over low heat. When the butter has melted completely, remove from heat.
2. To make the caramel, spread the sugar evenly in a perfectly dry, deep 10-inch skillet and place it over medium-low heat.
3. The sugar should turn straw-colored, then gold and then a nutty-brown caramel after about 10 minutes. If the sugar cooks unevenly , gently tilt or swirl the pan to evenly distribute the sugar. Remove from heat and slowly whisk the cream and butter into the sugar, which can splatter as the cream is added (long sleeves are a good precaution.) If the caramel seizes, return it to the heat and continue to stir until it is smooth and creamy. Strain the caramel into a bowl and cool it for 30 minutes.
4. Stir the frozen cranberries and the almonds into the caramel and mix until all the fruit and nuts are coated. Spoon the filling into the partially baked tart dough mounding toward the center.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the juices and the caramel are bubbling slowly around the edges. Remove the oven and let stand for 1 hour, then gently lift the tart ring off the pastry.
6. Carefully transfer the tart ot a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This is a really good tart....the pastry is very nice and the caramel is gooey and wonderful and the almonds in the caramel just hit "the spot." But....the cranberries are tart - so very tart!!! The flavors due balance out though and a little slice goes a long way. I served this to friends and one of them said, "Oh, it's way too tart for me!" but I noticed that she cleaned her plate! It's definitely not in my top five but I will make this again - especially during the holidays because it's so pretty and it's so different. It would be in my top 47 for sure.
