Adriana's Italian Recipe for Cranberry and Chocolate Tart

Cranberry and Chocolate Tart
(Crostata di Mirtilli e Cioccolato)


Ingredients:
For the Cranberry Topping:
1/2 cup cranberry juice, divided
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
One 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

For the Crust:
1 and 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (made from about 6 and 1/2 ounces cookies, finely ground in processor)
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Mascarpone Filling:
One 8-ounce container Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Thin strips of crystallized ginger (optional garnish)

Directions:

Prepare the Cranberry Topping:
Pour 1/4 cup cranberry juice into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over.

Let stand until softened, 15 minutes.

Combine 1/4 cup cranberry juice, cranberries, and next 5 ingredients in medium saucepan; bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Reduce heat to medium; simmer until cranberries are tender but still plump, 5 minutes.

Strain into bowl; set cranberries aside.

Add gelatin mixture to hot juice in bowl; stir until gelatin dissolves.

Stir cranberries back into juice.

Chill until cranberry mixture is cold and slightly thickened, at least 8 hours or overnight.

Stir chopped crystallized ginger into cranberry mixture.

Prepare the Crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Combine chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, sugar, and salt in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter if mixture is dry.

Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch diameter tart pan with removable bottom.

Bake chocolate crust until beginning to set and slightly crisp, pressing with spoon if crust puffs during baking, about 14 minutes.

Transfer tart pan to rack and cool crust completely before filling.

Prepare the Mascarpone Filling:
Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients except ginger in medium bowl just until thick enough to spread (do not overbeat or mixture may curdle).

Spread filling in cooled crust.

Spoon cranberry mixture evenly over mascarpone filling.

Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

Garnish with crystallized ginger strips, if desired.

Cut tart into wedges and serve cold. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

That's it!