This year I wanted to try something different for Thanksgiving and am SO glad I did! I will definitely be bringing this tart back for Christmas, because it’s absolutely perfect! It’s adapted from Claire Saffitz Cranberry-Pomegranate Mousse Pie. I adore her. I have to tell you this pie is perfect. It’s such a beautiful color, it’s light, and sweet and tart and buttery and is a great addition to your holiday meal! The family agreed that we should do this every year.
I definitely don’t consider myself a baker, it’s less forgiving than cooking savory things where you can adjust easily. It may seem like this recipe has many steps but once you do it once you’ll realize it’s really not hard and SO worth it.
Make the compote thick and jammy, don’t overfold the mousse, and really make sure that the gelatin mixture is liquid without any lumps or granules. I love a graham cracker crust but you could also do a gingersnap crust or even biscoff cookie crust.
I think we all deserve a sweet treat after this crazy year of 2020. Make this pie for an intimate family holiday dessert to switch things up or just for fun! It was perfect after a big thanksgiving meal - It was light and tangy but still satisfied my sweet craving.
Makes a 9” Pie/Tart
INGREDIENTS
Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers
1/3 cup organic cane sugar or coconut sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted grass-fed butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Cranberry-Pomegranate Mousse
2 wide strips orange zest
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
10 ounces fresh cranberries
1 cup organic cane sugar or coconut sugar
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder or pectin
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
STEPS
1. Make the crust! Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix the graham crackers, sugar, melted butter and cinnamon in the food processor until combined. Press the mixture into a 9” pie plate or spring form pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden and crsp and remove and let cool for at least 1 hour.
2. Make the cranberry compote: In a saucepan, combine the orange zest, cinnamon, salt, cranberries, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of pomegranate juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring often until the cranberries have burst and the mixture is a very thick jam-like consistency (approximately 15 minutes). Remove from the heat.
Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl and scrape the thick jammy compote into the sieve. Push the mixture through with a rubber spatula forcing the mixture through the mesh. Toss the solids remaining. Whisk in 1/2 cup heavy cream into the compote until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until chilled.
Soften the gelatin/pectin: In a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons cold water then sprinkle the gelatin over the top but do not stir. Set aside and allow it to soften for 10 minutes. While you’re waiting, add 1 cup of cold heavy cream into your mixer and whisk on medium to medium high until you have firm peaks. Refrigerate until needed.
Remove the cooled cranberry mixture from the fridge and give it a few good whisks so it’s smooth. Place the gelatin saucepan over low heat and gently warm. Swirl the pan until the gelatin is melted and liquid without any granules. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk the liquid gelatin into the cranberry mixture.
Assemble the mousse: Add the chilled whipped cream from the fridge and scrape about half of it into the cranberry mixture folding it in gently to combine - you want it to remain soft and airy, Fold in the remaining whipped cream until you have a light uniform mixture, don’t over-mix. Pour the cranberry mousse into your pie dish into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled and set. After the first 90 minutes you’ll want to cover with plastic wrap so it doesn’t develop a skin.
Serve with homemade whipped vanilla cream!
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