Lemon Cream & Cranberry Tart

January 6, 2021January 5, 2021 by Gillian Volz

Starting the new year the right way with our first tart recipe! This lemon cream & cranberry tart is sweet, tangy, topped with heaps of meringue, and surrounded by a flaky buttery crust. This is the best dessert for winter and spring because of all the fresh flavors. Whether it’s for holiday brunch or a spring showstopper, this tart is the best year round.

The tart is topped with a big mound of Italian meringue and then toasted for that perfect browned color. This pretty tart is a labor of love and although it’s a bit of work, it is well worth it in the end. All the parts compliment each other and it’s the perfect weekend baking project.

Why is this the best tart?

The lemon and cranberry are the perfect combination of sweet and tart. The lemon cream is different than lemon curd, but just as sweet and tangy. The cranberry helps cut the sweetness with that little zing at the end.

These fresh flavors are perfect for any season. Although cranberry is popular around Thanksgiving, you could still use frozen cranberries during anytime.

The buttery crust is crisp, flaky, and rolled to perfection.

Tart vs Pie

If you love pie, then you’ll love tarts because they are almost the same thing just with some minor differences. Pies are deep pans, coated in crust, filled, occasionally topped with crust again. Tarts are much shallower with filling and no extra crust on top.

Both can have the same types of fillings.

If you’re a pie lover like me, you’ll love any tart too! Believe it or not I used to hate pie when I was younger, what the heck was I thinking?! It’s crust with fillings and toppings, what could be better?

Ingredients you need

Flour
Sugar
Butter
Water
Vanilla Extract
Apple Cider Vinegar
Lemons
Eggs
Fresh Cranberries (frozen work too)
Orange Juice
Cornstarch

How to make the tart

Although this sweet tart requires a little handy work, the end result is oh so good.

Start by whisking together the flour, sugar, and salt. Next, add in the cubed butter and mix. Mix with a hand or stand mixer for a few minutes until there are only a few pea sized pieces of butter left. You want to leave a few butter chunks so it gets all flaky and buttery when baked.
Add in the ice water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Continue to mix until your dough forms. It will be slightly dry but able to hold shape. Add more water if needed.
Mold the dough into a round disc and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 1-2 hours until firm. It’s super important that you chill the dough, otherwise it could shrink when baking.
Once chilled, pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4″ thick. It’s important not to have the dough too thick, otherwise it will be hard to cut when eating. Roll the dough into an 11″ circle.
Place the circle of dough over a 9″ tart pan (I recently bought this one) and gently press into the edges with your fingers. Poke the bottom of the crust with a fork. Trim the edges off so it is smooth with the pan. Place a large piece of parchment over the crust and add in dried beans, rice, or pie weights. This is very important because if you don’t weigh down the bottom and sides, the crust could shrink and fall in the oven. I’ve made this mistake too many times! Place the tart pan on a medium baking sheet. Since the bottom is removable, this will make it easy for transportation and less chance of accidentally popping it out.
Bake the crust for 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and take off the paper and weights. Bake again for another 10-15 minutes until the crust is a dark golden and crisp. Once baked, remove from the oven and let come to room temp.
While the crust cools, let’s make the fillings. Start with the cranberry. Add cranberries, water, orange juice, and sugar to a medium pot on medium heat. Bring to a boil and continue stirring. Once the cranberries pop, remove from heat and use an immersion blender or blender to smooth it out. Boiling time takes about 5-7 minutes.
Once you have blended the cranberry, strain it through a strainer to get rid of the skins. In the same pot you boiled the cranberry in, add the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Add the cranberry filling back to the pot with the slurry and simmer on medium-low until thickened and smooth.
Next, add the cranberry filling to the tart crust and smooth out to the edges. Set aside.
Fill a medium pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. This will turn into a double boiler for the lemon cream.
In a heat safe bowl, whisk together your eggs. Next, gradually add in the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Continue whisking until fully combined. Add the bowl over the boiling water and begin to constantly whisk. Don’t let the bowl touch the water. Add a thermometer to the lemon cream to keep your eye on the temp. Continue to cook the lemon cream until it has thickened and reaches 180 F whisking the entire time. This will ensure it doesn’t burn. This takes about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in your butter. The heat from the lemon will melt the butter into the filling as you whisk.
Pour the lemon cream over the cranberry and chill for at least 4 hours until set. It will be set when you can slightly jiggle the pan and it will barely move.
Once chilled, let’s make the Italian meringue. I definitely suggest having a stand mixer for this because you’ll have to multitask. Add the egg whites to a stand mixer and set aside. Add the sugar and water to a medium pot and stir over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Once it’s boiling, begin whisking the egg whites until they’re foamy and soft peaks form. Then stop!
During this time, continue stirring your hot sugar mixture until it reaches 240 F. Once it comes to temp, take off heat, and turn mixer to high. Slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form. The meringue will be shiny, smooth, and slightly warm. Be careful not to over whip your meringue, otherwise it will lose its smoothness.
Once the meringue is done add it on top of the tart. Use a spoon to make little peaks pointing up. Brown with a blow torch or lightly broil for 30 seconds – 1 minute until the edges are browned. Serve immediately or set in the fridge. To pop the tart out of the pan you can place the bottom over a tuna or soup can and the bottom will come right out.

Extra tips to keep in mind

Don’t over whip the meringue, otherwise you’ll have trouble making peaks to toast afterwards.
Make sure to roll your crust out thin enough, I suggest 1/4.”
If you’re broiling the meringue, only do it for 30-45 otherwise the top will burn too fast.
Don’t rush any process of the tart. All parts need time and it is worth it in the end.
It’s best to have the tart pan on a cookie sheet for easy transportation.
If you don’t have a thermometer to keep an eye on the temp, just measure by time and how it looks.

Pressing the crust in the pan

A tart is similar to a pie, but the pressing it in is a little different.

After your roll the crust, gently peel it from your smooth surface and lay it over the tart pan. Gently press into the bottom and scalloped edges of the pan. Don’t press too hard because you don’t want it to tear.

After pressing it into the pan, poke the bottom with a fork all the way to the bottom. This will prevent the crust from puffing up with air while baking.

Baking the perfect tart crust

Nobody wants a soggy crust and you want to make sure you get that nice crispy bottom. In order to do this, you’ll have to watch your baking time.

The first time it bakes, this helps the crust to keep its shape at first.

Next, the second bake is to help crisp it up on all edges. If the crust looks raw and you can press it, it needs more time. If it looks golden and flaky, it’s done.

Whipping your Italian Meringue

If you’ve never made meringue before, there are a few things to keep in mind before you start because it’s so worth it in the end.

Be careful not to burn the sugar syrup. If you do, it will separate and not be syrup like anymore.
Slowly add the sugar syrup to the egg whites. If you add it too fast, it won’t come together as nicely.
Once there are stiff peaks, immediately stop whisking, otherwise it will lose the shiny smoothness.
It is best to use a candy thermometer when heating the sugar syrup because this will tell you exactly when to cook it.
You’ll definitely need a stand mixer, because you’ll be multitasking between the egg whites and sugar syrup.

Best Materials to Have on Hand

When making the tart, there are few materials that are best to have on hand. Here my favorite suggestions:

Stand Mixer with paddle and whisk attachments
Medium Pots
Spatulas
Tart Pan
Immersion Blender or Blender
Strainer
Candy Thermometer
Blowtorch (you can also broil) (the blow torch will give you more accurate results and less spotty than broiling)
Bowls

Troubleshooting your tart

This tart is a little more advanced, but having it turn out will be the best thing. Here are the best tips to keep you on track to tart success!

My crust is soggy and under baked! – You most likely need to bake the tart crust for longer in the oven. It should be golden brown when it’s done along with crispy looking.
My crust shrunk! – A couple of issues could have caused your crust to shrink. 1) You didn’t chill your crust for long enough so it lost its shape in the oven. 2) You didn’t add parchment paper and weights to weigh down the bottom and sides of your crust. This helps to maintain the shape in the oven and prevent shrinkage/falling over.
My cranberry filling is chunky! – Make sure to blend your filling and strain it to get rid of all the chunks and skins for the ultimate smooth filling.
My lemon cream is burnt and stuck to the bowl! – You most likely didn’t whisk your lemon cream enough while cooking. If you don’t mix, it will stick to the pan and burn quickly.
My lemon cream hasn’t thickened! – If you are several minutes in and your lemon cream hasn’t thickened, make sure your heat is on the right setting and you’re stirring the entire time. Stirring will help the cream to develop and thicken as it cooks. Overall, it does take time to thicken, about 10-12 minutes.
My meringue is loose! – You most likely haven’t whipped your egg whites enough before adding the sugar syrup. If they weren’t stiff enough, they will lose shape.
My sugar syrup is thick and chunky! – You most likely over cooked your sugar syrup and it has gone past the syrup point. Unfortunately, you’ll have to start over because you won’t be able to pour it into your meringue.

How to store extra

If you are ready to store your tart, add it to an air tight container or Tupperware. Place in the fridge and store for up to 5-6 days.

The tart will not keep its shape if kept at room temperature.

Do not freeze.

Want more of my favorite tart and pie recipes, visit my:

Did you make this recipe? Let us know below or on Instagram @tuesday.treats or use #tuesdaytreats2016