Cranberry Gorgonzola Tart Recipes

CRANBERRY CURD TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Put hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until skins darken and crack. Put roasted nuts in a clean towel and rub off skins. Discard skins and let nuts cool.
• In a food processor, grind nuts with half the rice flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining rice flour and salt and pulse briefly.
• Cream sugar and butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon for a minute or two until pale and thick. Add nut mixture and combine until dough comes together. If it seems crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons softened butter or a little cold water.
• Press dough evenly into a 10-inch tart pan; use half the dough for the sides and half for the bottom. Prick bottom with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes (or several days if desired).
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chilled tart shell about 15 minutes until lightly brown. Cool.
• While the crust bakes and cools, make the cranberry curd: Put cranberries, sugar and orange juice and peel in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries have popped and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food mill or medium mesh sieve and press cooking liquid and solids into a bowl. (Alternatively, for the most vibrant color, purée the cooked cranberry and orange mixture with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender. Press through a fine-mesh sieve.) Whisk the butter into the warm liquid.
• Put eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and beat lightly. Slowly whisk a cup of warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper, then combine both and whisk together. Wipe out pot if necessary, return liquid to pot and cook over low heat until nearly bubbling and thickened, about 10 minutes. If using immediately, let cool to room temperature. If working ahead, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap (press wrap against curd) and refrigerate. (Curd may be cooked up to 1 day ahead.)
• Pour cooled cranberry curd into the cooled prebaked tart shell and smooth top with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to set curd. Cool on a rack. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

CRANBERRY GORGONZOLA APPETIZER TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F.
• Prepare pie crust as directed on package for one-crust baked shell using a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Trim excess pie crust even with top of pan. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light brown. Cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
• Combine cream cheese and Gorgonzola cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in milk and egg until well mixed. Gently stir in cranberries and green onions. Spread mixture in baked tart shell and sprinkle with pecans.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is set. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges. Garnish with additional green onions, if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

CRANBERRY-GORGONZOLA STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. In a small bowl, combine cheese and cranberries. Spoon 1/4 cup cheese mixture down the center of each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with toothpicks., Place walnuts and parsley in a food processor; cover and process until ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl; stir in the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine eggs and mustard. Place flour in a third shallow bowl. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in egg mixture and coat with walnut mixture., Place seam side down in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Discard toothpicks.