Cranberry-Pear-Walnut Tart
Fresh cranberries are paired with sweet ripe pears and then placed in a delicious walnut shortbread crust. This tart is festive, crispy and perfect for any special dinner or event. It offers the sweetness of the beautifully combined fruits without being overly sweet. Toasted almond ice cream on top rounds this dessert out, creating the perfect bite or two or three…
Position a rack near the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk, half-and-half, and vanilla.
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse until combined.
Add the butter and pulse until the butter pieces are no longer visible.
With the processor running, add the yolk mixture in a steady stream and then pulse until the moisture is fairly evenly dispersed, 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Using your hands, mix in the chopped walnuts to distribute them evenly. The dough will be a mealy, crumbly mass.
Pour the crumb mixture into a 9-1/2-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
Starting with the sides of the pan, firmly press the crumbs against the pan to create a crust about 1/4 inch thick. Press the remaining crumbs evenly against the bottom of the pan.
Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and freeze for 10 minutes. Bake until the sides just begin to darken and the bottom is set, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Filling
Peel the pears, quarter them lengthwise, core, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
In a food processor, coarsely chop the cranberries.
In a medium bowl, mix the pears, cranberries, and brandy. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt; add to the cranberry-pear mixture, tossing to combine.
Spoon the filling into the par-baked crust, leveling the filling and packing it down slightly with the back of a spoon.
Streusal & Bake
Mix the flour, brown sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
Add the melted butter and vanilla. Combine with your fingers until the mixture begins to clump together in small pieces when pressed. Sprinkle the streusel over the filling, breaking it into smaller pieces if necessary.
Bake at 350°F until the fruit is tender when pierced with a fork and the streusel and the edges of the crust are golden brown, about 50 minutes. If the tart begins to get overly brown at the edges, cover with foil. Let the tart cool on a rack until it’s just barely warm before serving. The tart will keep, covered and at room temperature, for two to three days.
Cranberry-Pear-Walnut Tart
Bright, fragrant, and perfectly balanced between tart cranberries, buttery crust, and warm spice.
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
Walnut Shortbread Crust
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp half-and-half
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (6 3/4 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (4 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 1/3 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
Cranberry Pear Filling
- 3 large ripe pears (Anjou or Bartlett)
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
- 1 Tbsp brandy (or 1 tsp orange zest if preferred)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp salt
Buttery Brown Sugar Streusal
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (1 3/4 oz.) flour
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp (1 oz.) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Walnut Shortbread Crust
- Heat oven to 400°F. Whisk egg yolk, half-and-half, and vanilla in a small bowl; chill while preparing the dry ingredients.
- Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine.
- Add cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with no visible butter pieces.
- With processor running, stream in the yolk mixture. Pulse 10–20 seconds until evenly moistened—mixture will look crumbly, not smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl and mix in walnuts by hand.
- Press into a 9½-inch fluted tart pan (removable bottom): sides first, then base, aiming for an even ¼-inch thickness.
- Prick the base with a fork and freeze 10 minutes.
- Bake 15–17 minutes, until the edges turn light golden and the base is set. Cool on a rack. Reduce oven to 350°F.
Cranberry Pear Filling
- Peel, quarter, and core pears. Slice crosswise into ¼-inch pieces.
- Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped—don’t puree.
- Combine pears, cranberries, and brandy (or zest).
- In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Add to fruit mixture and toss to coat evenly.
- Spoon into the warm par-baked crust, packing gently to eliminate air pockets.
Buttery Brown Sugar Streusal
- Stir flour, brown sugar, and salt together.
- Pour in melted butter and vanilla; mix with fingers until small clumps form.
- Scatter evenly over the fruit.
Bake
- Bake tart at 350°F for 45–55 minutes, until:
* Pears are tender when pierced.
* Streusel is golden.
* Crust edges are browned but not dark. - Tent edges with foil if browning too quickly.
- Cool until just slightly warm before slicing.
Storage: Keeps 2–3 days at room temperature, covered. Even better on day two as flavors meld.