Cranberry, Caramel and Hazelnut Tart

A unique tart that's sweet and salty, with a burst of tart flavor from the cranberries. Serve cold or at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Chill Time 3 30

Total Time 4 40

Servings servings

Calories 525

Author Annalise Sandberg

Ingredients

Crust:

½ cup chopped hazelnuts , see Notes (90 grams)
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (150 grams)
½ cup powdered sugar (57 grams)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter , cold and cut into cubes (113 grams)
2 large egg yolks , lightly beaten

Filling:

1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream (310 ml)
½ cup unsalted butter (113 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cup fresh cranberries (175 grams)
2 cups whole hazelnuts , skins removed (285 grams)

Instructions

To make the crust:

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse hazelnuts until they've been reduced to a coarse meal. Add flour, powdered sugar, and salt and pulse to combine. Add cubed butter and pulse a few times to break the butter into pea-sized pieces. Pour the egg yolks over the top and pulse until the dough starts to come together, about 10 seconds.
Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days (you can also store dough double-wrapped in the freezer for up to 2 months).
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thick and into a rough 12-inch circle. Transfer to a greased 11 inch tart pan (see Notes). Freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line chilled tart crust with greased foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until set and edges just begin to turn brown.

To prepare the filling:

In a small saucepan set over medium low heat, warm cream and butter just until butter is melted. Set aside.
Add sugar to a heavy bottom sauce pan and place over medium heat. Let sit until edges begin to melt and turn golden, do not stir. Continue to cook until all of sugar has caramelize, swirling the pan as needed to promote even browning. This whole process should take about 5-7 minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.
As soon as sugar is caramelized, remove from heat and slowly add warm cream mixture a little at a time while whisking constantly. Once all of the cream mixture has been added, return to medium heat and stir until any hardened clumps have melted and caramel is smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla. Stir in cranberries and hazelnuts. Pour mixture into the parbaked tart crust (crust should still be on sheet pan). Carefully transfer to oven and bake until caramel is bubbling at the edges, 20-25 minutes.
Cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Serve immediately or store in the fridge and serve later. Tart will keep in fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

NOTES:

Feel free to swap hazelnuts for your favorite nut, both in the crust and the filling.
I like to use chopped hazelnuts for the crust as they're cheaper than whole hazelnuts. You can also substitute for 1/3 cup (40 grams) of hazelnut flour/meal.
If you don't have an 11-inch tart pan, you can use a 9-inch tart pan in a pinch. Reduce cranberries to a heaping 1 cup (100 grams) and whole hazelnuts to 1 1/2 cups (215 grams). You will have leftover tart dough and caramel filling.

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