Festive recipe: Cranberry almond tart

December 22, 2024

This beautiful recipe from the book At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen is perfect for the festive period and although is a little more labour intensive than our usual recipes, we reckon it’s worth the effort for a special occasion. Enjoy!

Makes one 23-cm (9′) tart
Equipment: 23-cm (9′) fluted tart tin with removable bottom.

Pastry:
25 g (1 oz/1⁄4 cup) regular rolled oats
25 g (1 oz/1⁄4 cup) dried, unsweetened, grated coconut
35 g (11⁄4 oz/1⁄4 cup) whole raw almonds 2 tablespoons brown rice flour 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt 75 g (21⁄2 oz/3⁄4 cup), plus 2 tablespoons spelt flour 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,
plus more for oiling the tin 3 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
2 teaspoons arrowroot
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
360 g (121⁄2 oz/3 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries
60 ml (2 fl oz/1⁄4 cup) plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping:
260 g (9 oz/21⁄2 cups) almond flour (almond meal or ground almonds)
1 teaspoon aluminium-free baking powder 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 60 ml (2 fl oz/1⁄4 cup) maple syrup Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon 1⁄8 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract 3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Notes:
- Zest the orange for the topping before juicing it for the filling.
- If cranberries aren’t available, try using blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or a combination. Since these berries create enough juice on their own, leave out the orange juice and start with just 2 tablespoons maple syrup, increasing to taste, then thicken with arrowroot as in the recipe.

Make the pastry:
- Preheat oven to 180oC/350oF/Gas Mark 4.
- Thoroughly oil tart tin and set aside.
- Combine oats, coconut, almonds, rice flour and salt in a food processor and blend until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and stir in spelt flour.
- Drizzle in olive oil; mix with a fork or your fingertips until all flour is moistened. Add maple syrup and vanilla and mix again. Pastry should be moist but not sticky.
- Wash and dry your hands and press pastry evenly into tart tin. Trim any excess pastry from edges. Prick bottom of tart with a fork several times and bake for 15 minutes; pastry should be set but not done.
- Remove from oven and set aside. Leave oven on.

Make the filling:
- Place arrowroot in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the orange juice; stir to combine and set aside.
- In a small pan, combine 300 g (101⁄2 oz/21⁄2 cups) of the cranberries, remaining orange juice, maple syrup and cinnamon.
- Bring to the boil over high heat, stirring frequently.
- Cover pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until the cranberries are soft.
- Remove lid, stir arrowroot mixture again and slowly drizzle into simmering cranberries, stirring constantly until mixture has thickened and returned to a simmer.
- Remove from heat and spread into pre-baked tart shell.

Make the topping:
- Combine almond flour (almond meal or ground almonds) and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl, breaking up any lumps of almond flour (almond meal or ground almonds) with your fingertips or a whisk.
- In another bowl, combine olive oil, maple syrup, orange zest, lemon zest, salt, vanilla extract and almond extract; whisk until emulsified.
- Pour into almond flour (almond meal or ground almonds) mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until completely combined – mixture will be quite wet.
- Scoop spoonfuls of mixture over cranberry filling and use damp fingers to spread topping out a little, leaving it rustic with some filling showing in parts to allow cranberries to bubble up.
- Lightly press remaining 60 g (2 oz/1⁄2 cup) cranberries into topping and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.
- Allow tart to cool completely before removing from tin and serving.

Extracted from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen by Amy Chaplin, photographs by Johnny Miller. Published by Jacqui Small (£25).

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Festive recipe: Cranberry almond tart

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Festive recipe: Cranberry almond tart

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