German Cranberry Orange Cream Tart with Easy Caramel Garnishes
This German Cranberry Orange Cream Tart with a fruity flavor and a delicious, rich crust is an amazing and festive dessert to add to your holiday menu.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the egg and knead into a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and cool for about 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
With an electric mixer, beat the eggs with mascarpone cheese and crème fraîche or sour cream until smooth. Stir in the sugar and pudding mix. Fold in the cranberries.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a clean surface lightly dusted with flour. Roll into a rectangle slightly larger than your 11-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Fit the dough into your tart pan coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under or flute decoratively.
Pour the filling mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Bake the tart for 45-50 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and decorate with caramel garnishes right before serving. Otherwise, they'll become too soft.
For Caramel Garnishes (optional)
Melt the sugar in a small saucepan and caramelize until golden brown. The caramel should be the consistency of thick syrup and run off the spoon in a long strand rather than in short drips—if it gets drippy, rewarm it over low heat.
To make the caramel bowl, oil the back of a ladle well. Distribute the caramel with a spoon on the back of a ladle in a grid shape, let it harden, and peel it off carefully.
Working quickly, scoop up some caramel with a teaspoon and drizzle it onto the wax paper in whatever shape you like - Christmas trees, stars, spirals, or hearts. Let cool completely and carefully peel it off with a spatula.
Store the garnishes in an airtight container in a dry place at room temperature for up to two days.
Notes
Caramel is so sticky but fun to play with. You can pull it into hair-thin strings or "draw" with a spoon.
The easiest way to clean a caramel-coated pan is to pour boiling water into it and wait until the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour out the water, let the pan cool, and wash with soap and water. Repeat if necessary until all the caramel is gone.
When making caramel garnishes, make sure you use wax paper or foil, or parchment paper that is heavily greased. I cannot stress that enough. Caramel is one of the most delicious and stickiest things ever to exist. You want it to peel off nicely and not ruin whatever surface you make them on, like your best baking sheet (oops).
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used and serving size.