Cranberry Meringue Tart

5 from 6 votes

The Cranberry Meringue Tart is the perfect combination of sweet pillowy meringue, creamy tart cranberry curd, and a brown sugar tart crust. It's the perfect dessert for a special occasion.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Cooling Time3 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 25 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 613kcal

Author: Cheryl Norris

Ingredients

Tart Crust

1 1/3 cups (189 grams) all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons (63 grams) light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (142 grams) unsalted butter melted

Cranberry Curd

12 ounces (340 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) white sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 (100 grams) whole eggs
2 (40 grams) egg yolks
8 tablespoons (114 grams) unsalted butter room temperature

For the Swiss Meringue

5 (150 grams) egg whites
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

Instructions

For the Crust

Adjust 1 oven rack to the middle position in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk flour, sugar, ground ginger, and salt together in a bowl. Add melted butter and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until a dough forms. Using your hands, press two-thirds of dough into the bottom of 9- inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press remaining dough into fluted sides of the pan. Press and smooth dough with your hands to even thickness.
Place pan on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the middle rack, until crust is deep golden brown and firm to touch, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Set it aside and let it cool before filling with the cranberry curd.

For the Cranberry Curd

You don't need to thaw the cranberries for this recipe.
In a small bowl whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks. Place a bowl with a medium-coarse strainer next to the stove.
Place the cranberries, sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Zest the orange directly into the saucepan. Juice the orange and add 1/4 cup of orange juice to the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, mashing occasionally with a potato masher until cranberries have mostly broken down and mixture measures 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 12 minutes. Strain cranberry mixture through the medium-coarse strainer into a bowl, pressing on solids with a rubber spatula to extract as much puree as possible.
Whisk eggs and yolks into cranberry mixture in the bowl. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Place a clean bowl with a fine-mesh strainer near the stove. Cook the cranberry mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is thickened and registers 175 degrees in multiple spots, 5 to 7 minutes.
Off heat, whisk in the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time until well incorporated. Strain the cranberry mixture through the fine-mesh strainer.
If you're using the curd right away pour the curd into the tart shell and use an offset spatula to smooth the surface. Place the tart pan on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
If making the curd 1 or 2 two days in advance, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd, and refrigerate until ready to use. The curd can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Let the curd sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before filling the tart shell.
After baking the curd in the tart shell allow it to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least one hour before adding the Swiss Meringue topping.

For the Swiss Meringue

Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F then immediately put the bowl on the mixer, attach the whisk attachment and whip at medium-high speed until the mixture is cool and the whites hold stiff peaks, about 5-7 minutes.
Scrape the meringue onto the top of the cranberry curd and use a palette knife or the back of a tablespoon to spread the meringue and create swirls. You can also put the meringue in pastry bag fitted with a pastry tip and pipe the meringue onto the tart.
Use a blow torch to toast the top of the Swiss meringue. When you set up to use the blow torch make sure there is nothing flammable near the tart. Once the top is toasted, tightly shut the valve and do not let the tip come into contact with anything that is flammable or that could melt.
I buy a blow torch from the local hardware store instead of the smaller ones specifically designed for the kitchen.
The tart is best the same day it is assembled. It can be refrigerated for 4 to 6 hours and removed from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Not all cranberries are created equal, some are more tart than others. After the cranberries have cooked down with the sugar and orange juice, taste the mixture. If it is too tart for your taste add another 1/4 cup of sugar and cook for another 2 minutes to dissolve the additional sugar. The final curd should be tart, but not sour.

Nutrition