Cooking Instructions
1.
Bring the
Fresh Cranberries (4 1/2 cups)
,
Granulated Sugar (1 1/4 cups)
,
Water (1/2 cup)
, 1 tsp of
Lemon Zest (1)
, 1 tsp of
Orange Zest (1)
, and
Salt (1 pinch)
to boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
2.
Lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until all the cranberries have burst and started to break down for about 10 minutes.
3.
While the cranberries cook, whisk
Egg Yolks (3)
and
Corn Starch (2 tsp)
in a bowl until smooth.
4.
Carefully transfer the hot cranberry mixture to a high-speed blender or food processor. Immediately add in the yolk mixture and blend until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping downsides of the bowl as necessary.
5.
Let the curd cool in the blender or processor bowl until a skin forms and the curd registers 120-125 degrees F (49-52 degrees C). This will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. While the curd cools, make the crust.
6.
Set the oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two 8-inch wide sheets of parchment. Lay sheets in the pan perpendicular to each other, with extra parchment hanging over the edges of the pan.
7.
Whisk
All-Purpose Flour (1 cup)
,
Granulated Sugar (4 Tbsp)
, 1/2 tsp of
Lemon Zest (1)
, and
Fine Sea Salt (as needed)
in a bowl until well combined.
8.
Pour in
Unsalted Butter (1/2 cup)
and stir until a uniform dough forms. Press dough to an even thickness in the prepared pan.
9.
Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
10.
Let crust cool for 20 minutes before adding the curd.
11.
Add the
Unsalted Butter (3 Tbsp)
to the cranberry puree and blend until fully combined for about 30 seconds.
12.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing on solids with a rubber spatula to extract curd.
13.
Transfer the cranberry curd to the crust (it’s okay if the crust is still warm) and smooth it into an even layer.
14.
Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
15.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before topping and serving.
16.
To serve, in the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the whisk attachment (or in a clean small bowl and an electric hand mixer), add the
Egg White (1)
. Beat until foamy, about 2 minutes.
17.
Add the
Granulated Sugar (4 Tbsp)
and
Salt (1 pinch)
and beat until stiff peaks form for about 5 minutes.
18.
Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with the desired tip (I used a star tip).
19.
Right before serving, slice up the cold cranberry bars with a sharp chef’s knife. Sliced into 8 large bars or 16 smaller bars.
20.
Pipe little dollops of meringue onto the top of each bar. You can use a torch to toast the meringue. Garnish with lemon zest and
Fresh Cranberries (to taste)
. Enjoy!
