Reminiscent of wassail’s time-honored celebration to good health, this vibrant tart brings together holiday fruits of cranberries, apples, and citrus merged with aromatic spices of cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, all enhanced by the almond-accented pastry.
Ingredients
For the Almond Pastry:
3 cups blanched almond flour
4½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
1¼ cups shortening
1¼ cups butter
⅔ cup ice water
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
For the Cranberry Filling:
24 ounces (about 8 cups) fresh whole cranberries
4 cups diced envy apple
2 cups (about 20 ounces) crushed pineapple
Zest & juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
For Assembling the Tart:
½ cup frozen butter, grated
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Heavy whipping cream
Sanding sugar
Method
To make the Almond Pastry:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almond flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse until it combines. Add the shortening and butter. Cut it into the flour mixture. Sprinkle with ice water and the almond flavoring. Pulse until a dough forms a ball. Turn out the dough and form the pastry into a flat disk. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour.
To make the Cranberry Filling:
Place the fresh cranberries in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until lightly chopped. Place the chopped cranberries in a mixing bowl. Add in the diced apple, crushed pineapple, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla sugar, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Stir until well combined. Set aside and allow the mixture to macerate.
To Assemble the Tart:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set aside a 12-inch diameter x 1-inch high metal fluted French tart pan with a detachable base.
Remove the chilled pastry from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to an ⅛-inch thickness and a larger circumference than the prepared tart pan. Drape the thin pastry’s edge over the rolling pin and loosely roll up to move and center the pastry over the top of the pan. Without breaking the pastry dough, gently work it to fit the base and fluted edges. Eliminate the excess pastry overlapping the sides by firmly rolling the pin over the metal edges. The pastry will cut away cleanly and leave a finished edge on the dough with the top of the pan.
Sift the flour and cornstarch over the macerated fruit mixture. Add in the grated butter, and stir together thoroughly blended to avoid clumping. Fill the prepared tart shell with the cranberry filling, packing it tightly and smoothing its top with the back of a spoon until it is level with the edge (1 inch deep). Set the filled tart aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining half of the chilled pastry dough to an ⅛-inch thickness. With desired cookie cutters, cut and place the shapes decoratively atop the filling. Without getting cream on the cranberries’ exposed surface, wash the pastry decorations with the heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and the filling has set. Serve warm or cold.
Recipe Created and Stylized by R. Shannon Mock
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