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Cranberry-Ginger Apple Tart

By Jessica Rudolph

Published on August 23, 2022

Time

1¾ hours, plus 3 hours chilling and cooling

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Cranberry-Ginger Apple Tart

Ingredients

Dough

1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon table salt 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces and chilled6 tablespoons ice water

Filling

2 pounds (907 grams) Gala or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1⁄4 inch thick4 ounces (113 grams/1 cup) frozen cranberries, thawed½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar 3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided½ teaspoon grated orange zest ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1⁄4 teaspoon table salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces1 tablespoon turbinado sugar 2 tablespoons apple jelly

Before You Begin

The dough may be slightly sticky in the food processor; do not add any additional flour. The dough will firm up after its rest in the fridge. We like the crunch that turbinado sugar adds to the crust, but granulated sugar can be substituted. The crust will be most crisp on the day the tart is made. Serve the tart with vanilla ice cream or Ginger Whipped Cream and garnish with Sugared Cranberries, if desired. You can substitute apricot preserves for the apple jelly; strain the apricot preserves after heating them.

Instructions

    for the dough

  1.  Process flour and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles uniformly coarse crumbs, 10 to 12 pulses. With processor running, add ice water and process until almost no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl after 5 seconds.
  2.  Transfer dough to sheet of plastic wrap. Form dough into 5 by 6-inch rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (Wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)
  3.  Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling. Roll dough into 16 by 12-inch rectangle on well-floured counter. Starting at short side of dough rectangle, loosely roll dough around rolling pin, then gently unroll over prepared sheet. Cover dough with plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  4. for the filling

  5.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Just before baking, toss apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt together in bowl.
  6.  Transfer filling to center of dough and gently spread into even layer, leaving 2-inch border. Dot filling with butter. Fold overhanging dough over filling, pinching edges to seal and form pointed corners.
  7.  Using pastry brush, brush top of dough with water and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown and apples are tender, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let tart cool on sheet on wire rack until filling has set, about 1½ hours.
  8.  Microwave jelly in small bowl until fluid, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger. Gently brush mixture over fruit, avoiding crust. Use parchment to transfer tart to cutting board. Cut tart in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into individual portions. Serve.
Cranberry-Ginger Apple Tart
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Kendra Smith.

Cranberry-Ginger Apple Tart

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Time

1¾ hours, plus 3 hours chilling and cooling

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

Dough

1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces and chilled
6 tablespoons ice water

Filling

2 pounds (907 grams) Gala or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1⁄4 inch thick
4 ounces (113 grams/1 cup) frozen cranberries, thawed
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided
½ teaspoon grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons apple jelly

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Dough

1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces and chilled
6 tablespoons ice water

Filling

2 pounds (907 grams) Gala or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1⁄4 inch thick
4 ounces (113 grams/1 cup) frozen cranberries, thawed
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided
½ teaspoon grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons apple jelly

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Dough

1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces and chilled
6 tablespoons ice water

Filling

2 pounds (907 grams) Gala or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1⁄4 inch thick
4 ounces (113 grams/1 cup) frozen cranberries, thawed
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided
½ teaspoon grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons apple jelly

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

This free-form tart (more rustic than a pie yet somehow more elegant) features tender apple slices, crimson pops of tart cranberries, and bits of spicy ginger, all spread over a buttery, delightfully crisp crust. For the tart dough, we processed butter and flour for more time than is called for in our pie dough recipes, processing the two until the mixture resembled coarse fresh bread crumbs. This gave us a crust that was sturdy enough to contain the cooked fruit and bubbling juices without the aid of a pie plate. The butter pieces were small enough to create flaky layers but not leave weak spots and holes in the dough when they melted. We sprinkled the crust with coarse sugar that added crunch once the tart was baked and brushed the cooled tart with warmed apple jelly for a sweet, shiny finish.

Before You Begin

The dough may be slightly sticky in the food processor; do not add any additional flour. The dough will firm up after its rest in the fridge. We like the crunch that turbinado sugar adds to the crust, but granulated sugar can be substituted. The crust will be most crisp on the day the tart is made. Serve the tart with vanilla ice cream or Ginger Whipped Cream and garnish with Sugared Cranberries, if desired. You can substitute apricot preserves for the apple jelly; strain the apricot preserves after heating them.

Instructions

    for the dough

  1.  Process flour and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles uniformly coarse crumbs, 10 to 12 pulses. With processor running, add ice water and process until almost no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl after 5 seconds.
  2.  Transfer dough to sheet of plastic wrap. Form dough into 5 by 6-inch rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (Wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)
  3.  Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling. Roll dough into 16 by 12-inch rectangle on well-floured counter. Starting at short side of dough rectangle, loosely roll dough around rolling pin, then gently unroll over prepared sheet. Cover dough with plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  4. for the filling

  5.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Just before baking, toss apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt together in bowl.
  6.  Transfer filling to center of dough and gently spread into even layer, leaving 2-inch border. Dot filling with butter. Fold overhanging dough over filling, pinching edges to seal and form pointed corners.
  7.  Using pastry brush, brush top of dough with water and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown and apples are tender, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let tart cool on sheet on wire rack until filling has set, about 1½ hours.
  8.  Microwave jelly in small bowl until fluid, about 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger. Gently brush mixture over fruit, avoiding crust. Use parchment to transfer tart to cutting board. Cut tart in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into individual portions. Serve.

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