XOXO CRANBERRY-LIME TARTLETS FOR TWO

ph: s winesett / LApiestory

Happy Valentine's Day! I really wanted to bake a delicious and pretty pink dessert using ingredients I already had in the house (I'm currently participating in a no-spend February challenge). I found a recipe via bon appétit for Cranberry-Lime Pie enticingly described as, "The spirit of Key lime pie in the guise of luscious cranberry curd. The contrast between the snappy press-in crust and the tart filling in this recipe is pure genius." I couldn't resist modifying the recipe for tartlets for two. I baked my own chewy gingersnap cookies using a recipe from Dessert For Two, which I halved to yield nine cookies, using four for two 4-inch by 1-inch tartlet crusts. The photo above is the result of my pretty in pink experiment. 

Cranberry-Lime Tartlets for Two

Crust:

2.5 ounce gingersnap (about 4 cookies), recipe below

1/4 c pecans

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 scant Tbsp light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse cookies in a food processor until very finely ground (you should have about 1/4 cup). Add pecans; pulse until finely ground. Add butter and brown sugar; pulse to combine. Transfer to a two 4-inch tart dishes. Using the back of a spoon, press firmly onto bottom and up sides of dish. Bake until firm and slightly darkened in color, 10–12 minutes. If crust slides down sides, gently press back up. Let cool.

Do Ahead: Crust can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Filling:

1/2 cup frozen cranberries

1/2 c sugar plus 2 Tbsp, divided

1 egg

1/4 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp lime zest, divided

2 Tbsp lime juice

teeny pinch of kosher salt

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp, cut into pieces

1. Bring 3 oz. cranberries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1 Tbsp water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, 12–15 minutes. Let cool. Purée in a blender until very smooth.
2. Cook purée, egg, lemon zest, lime juice, salt, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp. lime zest in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water), stirring with a rubber spatula and scraping down sides of bowl often, until curd thickens and coats spatula, 8–10 minutes. Let cool until just warm.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat curd, adding butter a piece at a time and incorporating after each addition, until curd looks lighter in color and texture, about 5 minutes. Scrape into crust and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
4. Bring 2 Tbsp granulated sugar and 2 Tbsp water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add remaining 1 oz. cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until no longer sticky, 20–30 minutes.
5. Toss remaining 2 Tbsp granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Toss cranberries in lime sugar. Top pie with cranberries; serve with whipped cream.

Do Ahead: Pie (without topping) can be made 2 days ahead. Cover once filling is firm and keep chilled. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before serving.

Chewy Gingersnaps (Small Batch)

3 Tbsp shortening or butter

1/4 c sugar (plus extra for rolling)

1 medium egg white 

1 Tbsp molasses (not blackstrap)

1/2 c flour

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Have ready a shallow bowl filled with sugar for rolling cookies in.
3. In a medium bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the egg white and molasses and mix well.
5. Dump the remaining ingredients on top and beat until just combined.
6. Take large tablespoon-size chunks of dough and roll into 1” balls. You should get 8-9 cookies. Roll each cookie in sugar. Bake on an non-greased cookie sheet for about 12 minutes.
7. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will be very soft, but they will firm up as they cool.