Cranberry Raisin Tart

Easy homemade tart dough is free-formed into a beautiful, easy cranberry raisin tart. Serve with vanilla ice cream for an easy fall dessert. 

Raise your hand if you feel like you’ve already OD’ed on Thanksgiving food?  I’m just going to keep going and pretend that several of you already have, wherever you may be.

But, seriously.  The day hasn’t even arrived and I already feel like I’ve been stuffing my face with turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin for months.  So…naturally, I decided to throw another Thanksgiving-esque recipe in your direction.

One more can’t hurt, right?  There’s no such thing as too many dessert options on Thanksgiving.

If the name didn’t already give it away, this cranberry raisin tart does have raisins in it.  Shocking, I know.  But apparently, there are a whole lot of people out there that hate raisins.  Like totally despise them.  Maybe you’re one of those people.

Does the fact that these are golden raisins make a difference?  I’m assuming the answer to that question is an unequivocal no, but I figured it was worth a shot.

Obviously, as evidenced by this post, I don’t fit into the raisin-hating camp.   But, if you do, don’t worry, because the raisins are totally the supporting act in this dessert.

The cranberries are the star of the show.  And while I haven’t tried this dessert without them, I’m fairly confident that you could skip them all together and add another 3/4 – 1 cup of cranberries, perhaps a touch more sugar, and have yourself a raisin-free cranberry tart.  All is well in the world.

This recipe was discovered in a November 1993 issue of Gourmet magazine.  I had been rifling through magazine issues looking for a unique Thanksgiving Day dessert and this tart caught my eye. It also happened to be a cover recipe, which definitely helped.

For one, it is a free-form tart (or galette), which means it is a lot easier to assemble and it bakes in less than 30 minutes. 

As in, you can have this out of the oven in about 20 minutes.  The filling, a combination of fresh cranberries, raisins, fresh orange juice and zest, brown sugar, and a small amount of cornstarch, as well as the dough, can be made up to a day or two in advance up.

That frees up a lot of valuable oven time, especially on a day like Thanksgiving, when oven space is in high demand.

The end result is deliciously tart, yet still sweet from the addition of raisins (see substitution idea above) and brown sugar, and goes perfectly with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Plus, it makes a festive, new, and slightly different addition to the Thanksgiving dessert table! 

Cranberry Raisin Tart

5 stars (1 rating)

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Yield: 8 Servings (One Roughly 10-Inch Tart)

Prep: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 25 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total: 2 hours hours

Easy homemade tart dough is free-formed into a beautiful, easy cranberry raisin tart, perfect for fall entertaining. The filling, a simple combination of fresh cranberries, raisins, fresh orange juice and zest, brown sugar, and a small amount of cornstarch, as well as the dough, can be made up to a day or two in advance.

Equipment

• Half Sheet Pan
• Natural Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Cranberry Raisin Filling:

• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
• ¼ cup (60 mL) fresh orange juice from ~2 oranges
• 2 cups fresh cranberries picked over
• 1 cup golden raisins soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and drained
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Dough:

• 1¼ cups (150 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons (36 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 oz; 85 g) unsalted very cold butter cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg cold
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) cold water

Egg Wash:

• 1 large egg, plus 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
• turbinado or demerara sugar for sprinkling

Instructions 

• Prepare Filling: Combine all of the filling ingredients in a small saucepan and stir together. Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the cranberries begin to burst and mixture thickens slightly.
• Remove from the heat, transfer to bowl and cover, and allow to cool completely in the fridge. You can prepare the filling up to a day or two in advance to save time.
• Make Dough: Combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into bowl of a large food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the cubed butter. Place entire bowl in the freezer for about 5 minutes to thoroughly chill. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl.
• Remove the bowl from the freezer and pulse the mixture several times, or until the butter is in very small pieces and the mixture resembles coarse meal. While pulsing, slowly add the egg and water mixture and continue to pulse until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
• Press the dough together and flatten into a small disc, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and rest in the fridge for at least one hour.
• Assemble and Bake Tart: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Remove the tart dough from the fridge and place on a lightly floured counter top. Roll into a 12-inch diameter disc, moving the dough as you work to ensure it doesn't stick to the countertop. Don’t worry if its not perfectly round or the edges are slightly jagged.
• Transfer the dough onto the lined sheet pan and chill in the fridge or freezer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Spoon the filling into the center of the dough, leaving a 2½ – 3-inch border on all sides. Fold the edges of the dough over, pleating them slightly, while leaving the center of the tart exposed.
• Prepare the egg wash by whisking together the egg and water. Lightly brush the exposed dough with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado or demerara sugar.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Allow the tart to cool completely on the pan set on a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature (or slightly warm) with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe barely modified from November 1993 issue of Gourmet magazine.

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 244kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 149mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 30g

Author: Laura / A Beautiful Plate

Course: Pies, Tarts, and Pastries

Cuisine: American