Cranberry Curd Tartlets

By LRay

Martha Stewart Living, November 2013, pages 96-99.

Curd can be made 3 days ahead and stored in refrigerator.

Pastry cups can be made 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Ingredients

• Cranberry Curd
• 4 cups fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries (from one 14.5-ounce package)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice (from about 3 oranges)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 3 large egg yolks plus 1 large whole egg
• 40 Pecan Pastry Cups
• Whipped cream, for serving
• Pecan Pastry Cups
• 3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• Vegetable-oil nonstick cooking spray

Details

Servings 40
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 75mins
Adapted from marthastewart.com

Preparation

Step 1

Makes 40 tartlets

Cranberry Curd

Step 1

Place cranberries, water, and orange juice in a saucepan, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst, about 35 minutes. Press through a fine sieve, scraping back of sieve to get all the pulp (you should have about 1 3/4 cups), and discard solids. Cook pulp in pan with butter, sugar, and salt over medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 7 minutes.


Step 2

Whisk together egg yolks and egg in a medium bowl, then whisk in cranberry mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time. Return mixture to pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Pass through sieve into a bowl (you should have about 3 cups) and press plastic wrap directly on surface of curd to cover. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. To serve, let guests assemble their own tartlets, or spoon curd into pastry cups and top with whipped cream.

Pecan Pastry Cups


Step 1

Process pecans in a food processor until finely ground. Beat together mascarpone and butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add flour, pecans, and salt and beat just until dough comes together.


Step 2

Divide dough into 40 balls (about 1 tablespoon each) and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.


Step 3

Working in batches if necessary, lightly coat cups of mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Press balls into bottoms and up sides of cups and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.


Step 4

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pastry cups 15 minutes. Press down bottoms of cups with the end of a wooden spoon handle, then continue to bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool completely before filling with curd.