Cranberry orange curd tart with meringue topper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

Crust

1. Add cookie crumbs, ground ginger, salt, and melted butter to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine. The mixture should be evenly coated in the melted butter. 
2. Transfer the mixture to an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and firmly press the mixture into the bottom and sides. Place the tart pan onto a rimmed baking sheet and into the oven to bake for five minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Curd

1. Add the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and zest to a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes; the cranberries will have burst and released all their juices. Remove from heat, pour the mixture into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large mixing bowl and pour the mixture into the sieve. Using a silicone spatula, force the liquid through the sieve, allowing the sieve to capture all the seeds and unblended skins. Set liquid aside.
2. To a clean saucepan, add eggs and yolk and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add about half a cup of the hot cranberry liquid to the eggs and whisk; continue to do this a few times until the egg mixture is tempered (tempering eggs means adding hot liquid to room temperature eggs to create a stable base - and to avoid scrambling your eggs!). Finish by adding the remaining hot cranberry liquid and whisking to combine. Place over medium heat and cook until thickened and smooth, about eight to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Set aside and let the curd come to room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Once the curd is at room temperature, pour it into the cookie crust, place it on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.

Meringue 

1. Add egg whites, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer and place it on a small pot of simmering water, ensuring that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk the mixture for about three to four minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has warmed. Remove the bowl from the heat and place it on the stand mixer. 
2. Whip the egg mixture on high for about four minutes or until thick, shiny, and almost tripled in volume.

Assemble and Serve 

1. Decorate the top of the tart with dollops of meringue, or if you’re feeling extra fancy, pipe the meringue onto the top and use a kitchen torch to colour the meringue lightly. Enjoy!