This is a dessert to remember: chocolaty cookie crust, creamy mascarpone filling, and a glistening cranberry topping.
Ingredients
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Cranberry Topping:
Crust:
Mascarpone Filling:
For cranberry topping:
Step 1
Pour 1/4 cup cranberry juice into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until softened, 15 minutes. Combine 1/4 cup cranberry juice, cranberries, and next 5 ingredients in medium saucepan; bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until cranberries are tender but still plump, 5 minutes. Strain into bowl; set cranberries aside. Add gelatin mixture to hot juice in bowl; stir until gelatin dissolves. Stir cranberries back into juice. Chill until cranberry mixture is cold and slightly thickened, at least 8 hours or overnight. DO AHEAD:Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Step 2
Stir chopped crystallized ginger into cranberry mixture.
For crust:
Step 3
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, sugar, and salt in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter if mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Bake chocolate crust until beginning to set and slightly crisp, pressing with spoon if crust puffs during baking, about 14 minutes. Transfer tart pan to rack and cool crust completely before filling.
For mascarpone filling:
Step 4
Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients except ginger in medium bowl just until thick enough to spread (do not overbeat or mixture may curdle). Spread filling in cooled crust. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Step 5
Spoon cranberry mixture evenly over mascarpone filling. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours. Garnish with crystallized ginger strips, if desired. Cut tart into wedges and serve cold.
Step 6
*An Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets.
Leave a Review
Reviews (56)
Back to TopI've make this almost every year per the recipe and it is always a hit (I usually spread out the prep over 2 days which I think helps the filling really set). I would like to be able to make this vegetarian-friendly and am curious if anyone has any experience using a vegetarian gelatin substitute in this? I've been reading up on some of them and it sounds like several won't work as well in an acidic environment, so while I could embark on a trial and error mission, wanted to know if anyone has some experience in this realm they'd be willing to share. Thanks!! :)
magenta_ego
Massachusetts
10/18/2019
Flavor was good but they were definitely flaws in this recipe. I agree that the crust was a buttery mess and did not set right. The marscapone filling was delicious but needed more structure. The cranberry topping melded well with the marscapone and chocolate crust. I just wish it would have set right.
vcavendish
Amarillo, TX
11/24/2017
Great with Thanksgiving dinner. I had a beater malfunction that splattered cream and mascarpone around the kitchen so I added some cream cheese and more cream to make up for the loss and it set up well. Added nutmeg for flavor. Cranberries were too tart so added more sugar. Probably cranberries need adjusting after cooked due to differing tartness. Crust baked up very well. a keeper.
bustan79
Richmond, VA
11/26/2011
I made this last year for Thanksiving and this year for New Years. Both times, it was a big hit with all our guests. You can tell it is a hit when guests sneak back to the kitchen for a sliver more. This year, I skipped the extra candied ginger on top, and it was just as good. I'll make this guest-pleaser again.
frisshop
Boston, MA
1/9/2011
总体味道好。然而,有一些食谱crucial flaws. I made the filling according to the recipe, beating it to stiff peaks, then refrigerating overnight before adding it to the shell. The filling became runny overnight, and could not hold up the rather heavy, stiff cranberry topping, so the cranberries essentially sank to the bottom. If I could do it over again, I would omit the gelatin from the cranberries but add it to the mascarpone filling to add more structure.
amk934
11/25/2010
So easy and a real crowd pleaser.
Atalyl
5/13/2010
Unique and strong flavors make for happy people in my family! (Most of 'em, anyway...) This tart is lovely. As an experiment, I made one tart with cream cheese and the other with marscarpone. I am usually one for the "fancier" ingredients, but I preferred the extra tang of the cream cheese. Hubby was the opposite. When asked (at the last minute) to make this again for a family gathering, I purchased an Oreo cookie crust and omitted the ginger on top...and it was still a huge hit. Plus, as an added bonus, this dessert is absolutely beautiful plated!
Momof4foodlover
Wild, Wild West
4/22/2010
I made this for thanksgiving one year, and christmas the next. This is so easy to make, pretty and delicious. Cranberry juice cocktail is the way to go. The second time, I bought an all natural organic juice from Trader Joes which was really tart, and the topping wasn't as good. Tip: Add the ginger just before serving, otherwise it'll absorb the cranberry color and you won't be able to see it.
jccooks
chicago, il
1/6/2010
Ugh, what a horrible greasy mess was the crust! 5-6 T butter is way too much - all my other recipes call for 4 T with 1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs, and I should have followed that.
lamb2love
Seattle
1/1/2009
I made this tart for Thanksgiving this year, and it was a huge hit with my family. Instead of the lemon, I used orange zest and juice, still awesome! I didn't have any problems, I made everything the night before and put it together that morning and by that afternoon it was perfect.
meghalemily
Saco, ME
12/30/2008
Incredibly easy to make and quite pretty to look at. I only had an 11 inch tart pan and was dismayed that I hadn't taken the time to find a 9...it needs the extra cookie crust to balance it out. It went over well at Christmas dinner but was not a WOW like the Cranberry Chocolate Torte. Still, so easy and yummy.
thesheck
Burlington, VT
12/28/2008
This is a keeper recipe, but I've made changes. Instead of cranberries I used carmelized pears and everyone raves about it!
Anonymous
Santa Barbara
12/22/2008
Great recipe and not difficult to make. Presentation was great.
Anonymous
12/17/2008
I really liked this- so pretty and easy! Unlike other reviewers, I had no trouble whatsoever with the filling setting up, overcooking the cranberries or the cranberries covering the tart. The textures are great. I thought it was perfect, though my boyfriend thought the cranberries were a little sweet.
shiraz212
nyc
11/16/2008
I could not find frozen cranberries so I used frozen rasberries - it was terrific! Many requests to make it again! CT
ctrezona
Pompano Beach, FL
6/20/2008
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