Chocolate Cranberry Curd had become an absolute favorite for the holidays at the bakery. Besides its vibrant color, the taste and texture are outstanding. We used it in tarts, cakes and petit fours. Room permitting, we would freeze cases of cranberries at the end of the season in order to get a head start the following season and test new recipes during the year.
I love cranberries so much that the staff would have to make me take some of the cranberry desserts off the menu so we could put other seasonal items on. There is nothing like the sweet tart taste and the intense red color enclosed in a deep chocolate brown glaze.
The tart itself is easy to make with its press in crust which means no rolling. The cranberry curd itself has one extra step as you have to cook the cranberries and puree them before actually making the curd. The glaze is a simple matter two ingredients which make the perfect finish.
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Pick over the cranberries for the odd ones that need to be discarded. To prevent them from rolling all over your kitchen (like they did in ours before we figured this out), place them in a jelly roll pan or rimmed baking sheet where they will be in one layer. You can see all of them and shaking the pan will turn them over to make sure no bad ones are hiding. It saves a lot of time chasing them around the floor. They have a way of going directly under the most difficult area to reach. Cranberries have so much natural pectin, the curd sets up very firmly without the addition of gelatin.
We used the chocolate press in crust for myriad recipes. Its ease of preparation made it a favorite. The processor makes it even easier to put together.
The beauty of this Chocolate Cranberry Tart is it can be made ahead weeks ahead and frozen. Defrost it in the refrigerator. It can sit at room temperature for hours and should be served barely cool or at room temperature for the best flavor profile.
Chocolate Press in Shell 
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
¼ cup cocoa
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 stick butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of an 11”x1” quiche pan with removable sides in the center only. Set aside.
Combine flours and cocoa in bowl of mixer. 
Mix briefly to combine.
Add butter 
and cut in until very fine. 
Add sugar and baking powder. 
Mix to combine. 
Add egg and egg yolk; 
mix until it balls up and rides the blade.
Remove from the processor and divide in half. 
Diivide one half into 2 pieces. Roll one piece into a rope and press it in evenly along one side of the pan. 
Repeat with the second half of dough. Overlap the seams and seal well so no seam shows. 
Press the remainder of the dough into the bottom of the pan. 
Seal the edges very well so no line shows.
Prick the shell before baking.
Bake approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until completely baked. Cool completely.
Note: This can be made in a food processor or a mixer. The instructions are the same but the food processor will be a lot faster.
Cranberry Curd
12 ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries picked over
1 cup sugar (7 ounces or 200 grams)
2 tablespoons water
5 egg yolks (3 ounces or 85 grams)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces (4 ounces or 114 grams)
Place the cranberries in a rimmed baking sheet and pick over. Shake the tray to move the berries around.
Place the cranberries in a saucepan with sugar and water over low heat until the cranberries are very soft and some of them have popped. Stir frequently as this will be very thick and can scorch.
Immediately, puree them in a food processor (by batches if necessary). Puree for several minutes to get the skins as fine as possible. There will be tiny specs of red which is as it should be. If you prefer to remove the skins, strain the puree before proceeding. Add the yolks and lemon juice to the processor and process briefly.
Place the cranberry mixture in the top of a double boiler and add the butter. 
Bring the water underneath to a boil. Stir the curd constantly until an instant read thermometer reads 170 degrees.
Immediately pour into the cooled crust. 
Smooth the top. 
Cover directly with film and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.
Yield: 2 ¼ cups
Chocolate Cream Glaze
⅔ cup heavy cream
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces (140 grams)
Bring the cream to a simmer. Submerge the chocolate.
Allow to sit for 4 to 5 minutes then whisk gently to smooth the chocolate completely.
Remove the film from on top of the cranberry curd. Pour the glaze in the center and move it out to the edge of the curd with an offset spatula.
Refrigerate if using within a day or two. Freeze for up to a month for longer storage.
To remove the tart from the shell, place the tart on a wide can. Slide the side down.
Place the tart on a solid surface. Insert a metal spatula between the bottom of the crust and the bottom of the pan. Go around the bottom to release it and and move the tart to a serving tray or cardboard round with two spatulas, one placed on each side.
Laurel says
I am making this for Thanksgiving and have a potentially silly question. I have never used a tart pan with removable sides before. In all of the prep pictures, you show the tart still in the pan. Do you suggest serving the tart still in the pan or remove the sides for cleaner slicing and serving?
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Laurel, that's not a silly question. You want to remove it from the pan. I found some help for you on my post Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Torte The very reason for a removable bottom whether a tart or cheesecake pan is to allow the tart to come out of the pan for service. You don't want to cut it in the pan and scratch the bottom. I don't think you will need to use the blow dryer part. The rest is valid. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'll put a post on this in the technique section.
Jen says
Thinking of making this for thanksgiving however I will only have a rectangle tart pan available 13 7/8 inch by 4 3/8in. Would the recipe work as is? Also can it be done only with ap flour?
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Jen - There is 113 square inches in the 12 inch tart pan. Your pan has about 63 square inches - about half the size of the round pan. AP flour is ok, but the crust will not be as light.
Jay says
Helen - in this reply you reference a 12 inch tart pan; but the recipe calls for a 11 inch tart pan. Which is it? BTW -- 11 inch tart pan is 95 square inches
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Jay - 11" and of course it is 95 square inches.
Laura says
Hi there! I'm planning on making this tart for Thanksgiving this year. I was wondering if 1 1/2 cups pastry flour could be used instead of the all purpose & cake flour combo?
Helen S Fletcher says
Sure.
Jenny says
Hello! I'm a novice baker/cook, and this may be a really rudimentary question.... If I freeze, do I simply thaw and serve at room temperature?
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Jenny - not sure you got my answer from my phone. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before, covered if possible. Serve cool to room temperature. You picked a really good recipe - its one of my most popular with good reason.
Jenny says
Thank you, Helen! One more question, please.... I can't seem to get the crust quite right -- it breaks into pieces when I try to roll it into a rope. I've tried twice now. Any thoughts as to what I might be doing wrong? I so appreciate your help!
Helen S Fletcher says
Sorry I was at work Jenny. If the dough is too cold it could do this. Microwave it for a few seconds at a time and try again. Better to repeat microwaving it 3 or 4 seconds at a time so you don't melt the dough. Don't get the dough too soft, it should be firm.
Margaret Neher says
I am planning to make this for Christmas- it looks wonderful! We bought an 11" tart pan and were daunted by the size, as there's only two of us. So we ordered an 8" tart pan, which looks perfect. How would I alter the recipe for that size pan? I was thinking a half recipe but you can't really cut eggs in half... help! Thanks!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Margaret - This also freezes beautifully. You could cut it in pieces and freeze them individually. Yes, cut the recipe in half. Use 1 whole egg in the crust and 3 yolks in the curd for half. Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Jessica says
Bringing this to Thanksgiving this year... in Seattle, WA... thank you Helen!
Helen S Fletcher says
They will love you Jessica! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Maria says
Can’t wait to try this! Have you done it as tartlets?
Thanks
Helen S Fletcher says
No I haven't. Let me know the size of the tartlet pan and I may be able to break it down for you.
sallybr says
Helen, did you strain your cranberry puree? I once did that with raspberries and told myself NEVER again.... it was such a messy ordeal ;-)
I am really tempted to make this tart, your cranberry layer looks super smooth!
Michael's Woodcraft says
Hi Helen, I follow Sally Newton, saw her post this morning about your cookie recipe so I just had to visit your site. I love this recipe, printed it to add to my collection, will try this one soon.
I just read about your coconut cake, coconut cake is one of my favorites, make it all the time, especially this time of year. Your cake looks delicious!
Michael :)
http://instagram.com/michaelswoodcraft
hfletcher says
Hi Michael-So happy you dropped by. If you like coconut take a look at The Lamington Torte https://pastrieslikeapro.com/2013/08/lamington-torte/#.VF0zNYcT2EM - an upscale version of the Australian snack cake.
Toasted coconut, raspberry and chocolate ganache. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Sally Newton told us all about you Helen! I wish we could get fresh cranberries in Australia. At this time of year I can buy frozen berries, would that do ? This tart looks SO good!
hfletcher says
Absolutely you can use frozen berries. You don't even have to thaw them. They will take a bit longer to cook but they are just as good.
Eva Forson says
Wonderful, Helen. I'll try this.
sallybr says
Helen what a beautiful tart! I am amazed by the shocking red color of the filling, really perfect for the holidays
by the way, I wanted to let you know that tonight at midnight I will have my post about your oatmeal cookies published - I hope you have a chance to look at it, and if there's something you'd like me to change, send me a note, ok?
Elizabeth Stewart says
Could this be made as bars?
hfletcher says
Hi Elizabeth: I would imagine so. I never tried it. A 9 to 10" square pan would approximate the same height. When you cut the bars, be sure to heat the knife and let it melt through the chocolate layer before cutting into the curd and crust.
Share with us what happened when you tried the into bars. I would love to know.
Kevin Munden says
Looks amazing I've done it with praline into the chocolate
hfletcher says
That sounds really good Kevin. You can't go wrong with praline!
Aparecida Buratto Barbosa says
Helen good morning, tour receipe is wonderful, Thanks.
hfletcher says
Thanks Aparecida - it tastes as good as it looks!