Cranberry Meringue Tart
This cranberry meringue tart has a bright, smooth cranberry orange curd set inside a crisp pâte sucrée tart shell. It is topped with a soft Swiss meringue that you can serve as is or lightly torch for a toasted finish. The flavor is tangy and vibrant with a rich, buttery crust and a silky, marshmallow like topping.
About this tart
The filling is a stovetop cranberry orange curd made from cooked cranberries, sugar, orange juice, eggs, and butter. The curd is thickened gently on the stove until it reaches a pudding-like texture. It sets in the fridge, so the tart shell is baked fully before filling.
The crust is a classic pâte sucrée, which is a French sweet and crisp tart dough. It bakes into a crisp, cookie-like shell that holds up perfectly to a chilled curd filling. The tart is finished with soft Swiss meringue made from egg whites and sugar warmed over a water bath, then whipped until glossy. I love the meringue topping because it’s delicious, and because it gives you a use for the leftover egg whites from the curd!
A peek at what you need
How to make it
Pâte sucrée
- Start with the Pâte sucrée
- Cream together butter and sugar, then beat in the egg til combined.
- Mix in flour and salt into a soft and cohesive dough.
- Chill it, then roll and fit it into a 10-inch tart pan.
- Trim the edges and prick with a fork, and blind bake until golden.
The cranberry curd
- Add cranberries, sugar and orange juice to a pot and simmer.
- Blend the cooked cranberries until smooth.
- Push the mixture through a seive to remove the skins and seeds.
- Slowly add the hot cranberry mixture to whisked eggs to temper them.
- Cook on the stove until thickened, then remove from the heat and stir through butter and orange zest.
- Pour into the baked tart shell and let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Cooking the curd
The curd needs to get hot enough for the eggs to thicken it properly, and that happens right around the point where it starts giving slow, heavy bubbles. That gentle bubbling is your sign that the eggs and pectin in the cranberries have activated and the curd is thickening. You don’t want a rapid boil, which can scramble the eggs or make the curd grainy. Let it reach those slow, glossy bubbles for a few moments while you stir, then take it off the heat as soon as it looks smooth, shiny, and pudding like. If you have a thermometer, it should read 175 to 180 F (79 to 82 C).
Swiss meringue
- Mix egg whites, sugar, and salt over simmering water until the sugar dissolves.
- Whip into thick glossy peaks.
- Spoon over the chilled pie.
- Use a cook’s blow torch to toast the top of the meringue.
Tips
- Chill the dough before and after lining the tart pan to prevent shrinking
- Roll pâte sucrée about 3 to 4 mm thick for the best texture
- Bake the tart shell fully until golden throughout
- Cook the curd slowly to prevent scrambling
- Let the tart chill long enough for clean slices
Make ahead
The tart can be made the day before. Bake the pâte sucrée shell, fill it with the cranberry curd, and keep it chilled overnight. Add the Swiss meringue on the day you plan to serve it. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to three days.
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Cranberry Meringue Tart
Ingredients
Pâte Sucrée
- 100 g unsalted butter soft but not greasy
- 90 g powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 220 g all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cranberry curd
- 340 g cranberries fresh or frozen
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 120 ml orange juice
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks save the whites for the Swiss meringue
- Pinch of salt
- 55 g unsalted butter
- 1 to 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Swiss meringue
- 3 large egg whites
- 150 g granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Pâte Sucrée
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and evenly combined but don't whip and aerate it.
- Beat in the egg until fully emulsified.
- Add the flour and salt and mix just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto the bench, bring it together gently, and shape it into a disc. Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 340°F (170°C).
- Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured bench or between parchment to 3 to 4 mm thick, rolling slightly larger than a 9 or 10 inch tart pan. Transfer to the ungreased pan, easing it into the base and corners without stretching. Patch any cracks with excess dough.
- Roll the dough 3 to 4 mm thick and line a 10 inch tart pan. Press it into the base and up the sides without stretching it. If you get cracks or thin spots, patch them with extra dough.
- Press firmly into the angle between the base and sides, then trim the sides. Dock the base and chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Line with parchment, fill with pie weights, and bake for 20 minutes until set at the edges. Remove weights and parchment and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until dry and lightly golden. Let it cool.
Cranberry curd
- Add the cranberries, sugar, and orange juice to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries burst and soften, around 10 minutes. 340 g cranberries , 200 g granulated sugar, 120 ml orange juice,
- Blend the mixture until smooth in a blender and strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove skins and seeds.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, and salt. Slowly whisk in a few spoonfuls at a time of the warm cranberry puree to temper the eggs. 2 large eggs, 3 large egg yolks, Pinch of salt
- Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the curd becomes glossy, thick, and pudding like. It should reach 175 to 180°F (79 to 82°C) and form slow, heavy bubbles.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, orange zest, and vanilla. Let the curd cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then pour it into the cooled tart shell. 55 g unsalted butter, 1 to 2 tsp orange zest, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Chill for at least 4 hours or until fully set.
Swiss meringue
- Add the egg whites, sugar, and salt to a heatproof metal bowl. 3 large egg whites, 150 g granulated sugar, pinch of salt
- Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 160°F (70°C).
- Transfer to a mixer along with vanilla and whip on high speed until the meringue reaches stiff peaks. Add the vanilla at the end. 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembling
- Spread or pipe the Swiss meringue over the chilled cranberry curd. Toast lightly with a kitchen torch or leave it plain.
