CRANBERRY CURD TART

INGREDIENTS

Time: 90 minutes Yield: 8-10 servings

For the hazelnut crust:

180g raw hazelnuts 1 cup rice flour ¼ tsp salt ½ cup sugar 100g softened butter, more as necessary

For the cranberry curd:

350g cranberries 1 cup sugar Juice and peel (orange part only) of 1 orange 110g softened butter (1 stick) 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

METHOD

1. Make the crust: Heat oven to 160C. Put hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10-15 minutes, until skins darken and crack. Put roasted nuts in a clean towel and rub off skins. Discard skins and let nuts cool. 2. In a food processor, grind nuts with half the rice flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining rice flour and salt and pulse briefly. 3. Cream sugar and butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon for a minute or two until pale and thick. Add nut mixture and combine until dough comes together. If it seems crumbly, add 1-2 tablespoons softened butter or a little cold water. 4. Press dough evenly into a 10-inch French tart pan; use half the dough for the sides and half for the bottom. Prick bottom with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes (or several days if desired). 5. Heat oven to 180C. Bake chilled tart shell about 15 minutes until lightly brown. Cool. 6. Make the cranberry curd: Put cranberries, sugar and orange juice and peel in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries have popped and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food mill or medium mesh sieve and press cooking liquid into a bowl. Whisk the butter into the warm liquid. 7. Put eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and beat lightly. Slowly whisk a cup of warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper, then combine both and whisk together. Wipe out pot if necessary, return liquid to pot and cook over low heat until nearly bubbling and thickened, about 10 minutes. If using immediately, let cool to room temperature. If working ahead, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap (press wrap against curd) and refrigerate. (Curd may be cooked up to one day ahead.) 8. Pour cooled cranberry curd into the cooled prebaked tart shell and smooth top with a spatula. Bake at 180C for 10 minutes to set curd. Cool on a rack. Store at room temperature for up to two days.