By the time these came out of the oven, what little light there was had gone, so pix aren't too good. But you get the idea: YUM! Once in awhile I try and make something unexpected and special, and cranberry tarts were the highlight last night. I discovered a new way to do the crust which made these super quick to put together. Instead of rolling out the pastry, just pinch off bits and smoosh them into the tart dishes and up the sides to create the pie shell. (Of course, you can also use frozen pastry if you like.) The filling is cooked first, so it only takes about 15-20 minutes to bake these off.
Cranberry Tarts
Pastry: Put 1-1/2 cups flour (I use spelt); 1/2 tsp. salt, 2/3 cup vegetable shortening in food processor; pulse a few times until it becomes coarse like cornmeal. Pulse and dribble in 3 to 4 Tablespoons ice water just until dough gathers and cleans the bowl. *Don't over process as this will harden the dough. Fill tart dishes with small bits (about a teaspoonfull at a time) pressing into the dish and smoothing out as you go. Reserve about 1/4 cup for topping. Poke holes in the bottom crust with a fork; chill tart shells on a foil-lined cookie sheet while you make the filling.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Pie Filling: In a medium-size heavy saucepan--whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, 3 T. flour, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add 1/2 cup cold water, whisk until smooth. Stir in 2 cups whole fresh cranberries and bring to a boil. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until mixtures thickens. Remove from heat; add 1 T. butter and 1 T. of fresh lemon juice. Cool 5 minutes while you make the topping.
Topping: Add 1 T. flour + 1 T. sugar + 1/2 tsp. cinnamon to the remaining dough mixture. Return to food processor and pulse a few times until mixture becomes coarse enough to "sprinkle" evenly.
Fill tart shells with slightly cooled pie filling; add topping. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until crust is golden and pie filling bubbles.
Serve warm on a winter's eve.
Enjoy!
