One Fine Tart

Way back in January, I ran across a post by Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey about a chocolate cranberry tart that was featured in Bon Appetit magazine. Meeta and I must have been thinking along the same culinary lines in January because that particular recipe caught my eye too. I tore the page from the magazine and put it in my "To Eventually Try Before I Die" pile. I've learned that I'm much more inclined to actually make something from a magazine if I tear out and keep the individual page instead of keeping the whole magazine and thinking I'll eventually get back to flipping through it again and finding whatever it was that I thought I wanted to make in the first place. I made this a few weeks ago but never got around to posting about it. Remember this post about my house being turned upside down while waiting for new carpet and hardwood flooring? Well, it's been six weeks now and my house is JUST NOW coming back together!!!! We still have a few small details to take care of, but for the most part it's all done. Doesn't it look nice? No more rusty nails and dust! Woo Hoo!



Since cranberries are out of season now, you'll probably have to wait until next year to make this unless you're like me and happen to have a bag of cranberries in the freezer. I liked this tart very much because it wasn't overly sweet. The cranberries and the crystallized ginger gave it the perfect about of tartness. I didn't have marscapone cheese on hand and just could not bear the thought of having to drag myself to Walmart to look for something that they probably didn't have anyway, so I just substituted cream cheese and it worked just fine but the marscapone would have probably been a bit creamier in texture. It made a beautiful presentation all on its own, which is something I struggle with when it comes to desserts. Someone once told me that beautiful food garnishes itself and that is certainly true with this tart.....

* Exported from MasterCook *

Cranberry Chocolate Tart

Serving Size : 12
Categories : Dessert-Tarts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Cranberry Topping:
1/2 cup cranberry juice, divided
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 12 ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 Pinch salt
4 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
Crust:
1 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (made from about 6 1/2 ounces cookies, finely ground in processor)
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted -- (5 to 6)
Mascarpone Filling:
1 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Thin Strips crystallized ginger (optional garnish)

Pour 1/4 cup cranberry juice into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until softened, 15 minutes. Combine 1/4 cup cranberry juice, cranberries, and next 5 ingredients in medium saucepan; bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until cranberries are tender but still plump, 5 minutes. Strain into bowl; set cranberries aside. Add gelatin mixture to hot juice in bowl; stir until gelatin dissolves. Stir cranberries back into juice. Chill until cranberry mixture is cold and slightly thickened, at least 8 hours or overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Stir chopped crystallized ginger into cranberry mixture.
For crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, sugar, and salt in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter if mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Bake chocolate crust until beginning to set and slightly crisp, pressing with spoon if crust puffs during baking, about 14 minutes. Transfer tart pan to rack and cool crust completely before filling.

For mascarpone filling:
Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients except ginger in medium bowl just until thick enough to spread (do not overbeat or mixture may curdle). Spread filling in cooled crust. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Spoon cranberry mixture evenly over mascarpone filling. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours. Garnish with crystallized ginger strips, if desired. Cut tart into wedges and serve cold.