Panna Cotta Tart with Cranberry Custard and Meringue
Recipe by Catherine Pla
Serves 8
Panna Cotta Tart with Cranberry Custard and Meringue
This is a gorgeous tart and another way to enjoy cranberries.
1 9-inch tart shell, (using Tart Dough recipe below) blind-baked for 30 minutes at 375 degrees and cooled*
Panna Cotta layer
2 c heavy cream
1⁄4 c sugar
1 t powdered gelatin (I use Great Lakes) or 1⁄2 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 T cold water
1 t vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Cranberry Custard layer
3 1⁄2 c fresh or frozen cranberries
2⁄3 c orange juice
1 t lemon juice
1⁄4 c granulated sugar
1⁄2 c water
Pinch kosher salt
4 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg and 2 egg yolks
1 T cornstarch
Meringue
1⁄3 c granulated sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar, or lemon juice
Make the panna cotta: In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of water with gelatin to dissolve and bloom gelatin.
Place cream and the sugar in a small saucepan. Whisk to mix well and heat over a medium flame to warm cream and dissolve sugar. Remove from the heat, add in the gelatin mixture and stir. Add vanilla. Pour mixture into the tart shell. Refrigerate 1-2 hours until filling has set.
While panna cotta sets, make the cranberry layer. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring cranberries, orange and lemon juices, sugar, water and salt to a boil. Lower heat, cover the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the berries are completely soft. Strain through a sieve and discard the solids. Return mixture to the pot and add the sugar. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg, yolks, and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in half of the hot cranberry mixture, then pour back into the pan. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat about 8 minutes until it has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Strain into a heat-proof bowl and let cool slightly.
Once the mixture has cooled somewhat, remove tart from the refrigerator and pour cranberry custard over cold panna cotta and refrigerate tart for 2 hours until set, up to overnight.
Make the meringue: In the bowl of a stand mixer set over a pot of simmering water, whisk egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar until foamy, warm, and no longer grainy. Remove from the heat and whisk on medium-high until soft peaks form. Transfer meringue to a piping bag fitted with a 1⁄2” tip, smooth or fluted. Pipe onto tart. Lightly toast meringue with a kitchen torch if desired.
Tart Dough
Make this dough ahead of time, wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze for 2 months. I always make a double recipe and freeze one.
1 1⁄2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T sugar (optional)
1⁄2 t kosher salt
1 stick + 2 T unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
About 1⁄3 c ice water
Place flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour. You can also use a food processor, but be careful not to over process.
Sprinkle ice water, a little at a time, over the mixture, stirring to work in the water. You want the dough to hold together, but not be too wet. Transfer to a floured work surface and gather the dough together to form a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
*Roll out dough to a circle about 1⁄4” thick. Fit dough circle into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Dock bottom of tart shell with a fork. Place in freezer for 15 minutes as you preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place tart shell on a sheet pan. Line tart shell with a sheet of parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes, then remove pie weights and bake another 10 minutes.