Popped Cranberry Tart

Mix butter, sugar, pecans, whole egg, egg yolk, and salt with a wooden spoon until barely blended. Add flour and knead until a small ball forms. Wrap in plastic and chill about 4 hours.

After chilling dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll chilled dough to about 1/4-inch thickness or divide into 8 parts and press into 8 individual tart pans, 3-inch round by 1-inch deep. The crust should be thick.

Bake empty tart shells 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile make pastry cream, and prepare berries.

Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. Add egg yolks and mix until a paste is formed. Stir in 1/2 cup milk.

Combine remaining milk and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Pour hot mixture into mixture in bowl, whisking constantly. Pour back into pan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick. Remove from heat and stir an additional minute. Stir in vanilla and transfer to a bowl. Cover with buttered parchment paper touching top and chill a minimum of 2 hours or as long as 2 days.

Combine sugar, jelly and orange zest in sauce pan and boil until thick, about 5 minutes. Fold in cranberries, and cook another 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then assemble tart.

To assemble, spread prepared nut crust with a layer of chilled pastry cream and top with cooled cranberries. Serve chilled.

This recipe yields eight 3-inch tarts.