Cranberry and white chocolate tart

Cranberry and white chocolate tart is exquisite and so… Christmassy. It consists of a crisp biscuit base, homemade cranberry jam with a subtle hint of orange, and white chocolate ganache. Lightly decorated with rosemary sprigs and fresh cranberries, it has a lovely wintry look. It requires very little work, and the combination of flavours is incredible. If you prefer, instead of the simple biscuit base you can make a traditional shortcrust pastry base (for example, with the addition of walnuts). Highly recommended!

Ingredients for the biscuit base:

• 250 g digestive biscuits or other wholegrain biscuits
• 85 g butter, melted
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Place the biscuits, butter and cinnamon in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles wet sand. If you don’t have a food processor, place the biscuits in a sturdy bag (such as a resealable bag) and crush them thoroughly with a rolling pin or meat tenderiser, then mix with the melted butter and cinnamon.

Prepare a 25 cm tart tin with a removable base. Tip the biscuit mixture into the tin and press it firmly and evenly over the base and sides.

Bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while preparing the filling.

Ingredients for the cranberry jam:

• 400 g fresh or frozen cranberries
• 80 g caster sugar
• 50 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

Place the cranberries, sugar and orange juice in a saucepan and stir. Bring to the boil and continue cooking for a few minutes, until the cranberries burst, some of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and spread over the cooled biscuit base. Smooth the surface and leave to cool.

Ingredients for the white chocolate ganache:

• 300 g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 140 ml double cream

Heat the double cream until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Pour it over the chopped white chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth and glossy. If necessary, pass it through a sieve. Pour the ganache over the cranberry jam layer.

Refrigerate the cranberry and white chocolate tart for 12 hours, preferably overnight. Remove from the fridge and decorate with rosemary sprigs and sugared cranberries.

To decorate:

• rosemary sprigs
• fresh cranberries
• 1 egg white
• caster sugar

Dip the fresh cranberries in the egg white, then roll them in caster sugar. Use them to decorate the tart.

Enjoy!