CLEMENTINE, CRANBERRY & PECAN TART

The cranberry - a sharp, ruby-red berry growing wild throughout northern Europe and America is synonymous with Christmas, from the ubiquitous sauce on Christmas Day to canapés and sweet treats.  Its tart taste is a fit for sweet and savoury dishes.  Rich in vitamins C and D, potassium and iron, the cranberry is deliciously good for you.  So we have created a festive sweet tart in the Cookery School to share this December, we are using them in a salmon cure with vodka at The Swan and have a very special Cranberry Cinnamon Fleece cocktail in The Baa which we will share closer to Christmas. 

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 250g plain flour, sifted

• 125g unsalted butter, cubed

• 30g caster sugar

• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

• zest 1 clementine, finely grated

For the tart:

• 160g unsalted butter, softened

• 225g light brown soft sugar

• 1 whole egg

• 1tbsp sherry

• 100g plain flour, sifted

• 180g pecans, coarsely chopped

• 140g fresh cranberries

Method

For the pastry

1. Chill your ingredients.

2. Tip the flour, sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, clementine zest into a food processor, and add the butter. Switch on the machine until the mixture resembles wet sand, and eventually comes together in a ball. Remove the dough, wrap it in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30mins.

3. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Use the pastry to line a 25cm loose-base tart tin. Chill for 30 minutes, then blind bake for 15 minutes until just golden.

4. Remove the beans and the paper and return to the oven for another 5mins. Remove and allow to cool.

 For the tart:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, sherry, clementine zest and a pinch of salt until light. Fold in the flour, pecans and cranberries, then spoon into the tart shell, pressing down lightly with your fingertips.

2. Bake for 40 minutes, then allow to cool. Serve with lightly whipped cream flavoured with sherry, if liked.