Cranberry curd tart in a hazelnut crust

A lovely tart that's brimming with the sour sweet flavor of North American native cranberries and oranges pairs perfectly with the crumbly hazelnut crust. This is my variation.

FOR THE HAZELNUT CRUST  

1¼ cups shelled hazelnuts
1 cup rice flour (or unbleached regular flour, if you prefer)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
6-7 tablespoons softened butter


FOR THE CRANBERRY CURD

12 ounces cranberries
1/2 cup sugar (or more to taste; I personally love tart flavors)
Orange zest and juice of 1 orange
4 ounces  softened butter (1 stick)
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks


Pre-heat oven to 325 f.

1. Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until skins darken and crack. Put roasted nuts in a clean towel and rub off skins. Discard skins and let nuts cool.

2. In a food processor, grind nuts with half the rice flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining rice flour and salt and pulse briefly.

3. Cream sugar and butter in a mixing bowl for a minute on medium speed until it's light and fluffy. Add nut mixture and combine until it can be handled. If it seems too crumbly, add 1 to 2 extra tablespoons softened butter OR a little cold water.

4. Press dough evenly into a 10-inch tart pan; use half the dough for the sides of the pan and half for the bottom. Prick bottom with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes (or several days if desired). Pricking the crust allows steam to escape and will keep it adhered to the pan while it cooks (but, sometimes the crust will bubble, even with ample holes. Fear not if this happens! Just press it down while it's still hot).

5. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chilled tart shell about 15 minutes until lightly brown. Cool.

While the crust bakes and cools, make the cranberry curd.

6. Put cranberries, sugar, orange juice and zest in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries have popped and softened, about 10 minutes (this part is messy, so have a wet rag ready to wipe up the cranberry pops). Transfer to a food mill or medium mesh sieve and press cooking liquid and solids into a bowl. (Alternatively, for the most vibrant color, purée the cooked cranberry and orange mixture with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender. Press through a fine-mesh sieve.) Whisk the butter into the warm liquid.

7.  Put eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and beat lightly. Slowly whisk a cup of warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper, then combine both and whisk together. Wipe out pot if necessary, return liquid to pot and cook over low heat until nearly bubbling and thickened, about 10 minutes.

For the smoothest texture, strain this through a fine sieve to remove any egg curdles.

If using immediately, let cool to room temperature. If working ahead, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap (press wrap against curd) and refrigerate. (Curd may be cooked up to one day ahead.)

8.  Pour cooled cranberry curd into the cooled pre-baked tart shell and smooth top with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to set curd. Cool on a rack. Store at room temperature up to 2 days.