This Pomegranate Curd and White Chocolate Tart is a showstopper that is perfect to take to your next holiday or special occasion party. The crust is made from a combination of graham crackers and macadamia nut, with a pomegranate curd layer topped with a sweet, white chocolate layer. Decorated with sugared rosemary and pomegranate arils, it’s almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
I know this is going to shock and upset a lot of people but I’m not a traditional Thanksgiving pie type of person. Pecan and pumpkin pie don’t really excite me the way this tart does or even the one I made last year for the holidays. Remember that one? Yeah, I’m going to name drop it. The beautiful Cranberry Curd Tart. So each year, I try to come up with something different, that’s beautiful, and delicious, and not so fatty but still luscious and divine.
Have I caught your interest yet? Well, I’ll tell you what. This year’s tart is definitely a showstopper and a game changer. I love a graham cracker crust but adding the macadamia nuts in adds this element of earthiness that take the crust to another level.
As for the pomegranate curd, well, that was a gamble. One that paid off real well too. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out but I couldn’t do cranberry curd again so pomegranates seemed to be my given decision. I went with a standard curd recipe with the added pomegranate juice. A little extra sugar to balance the tartness in it, but it worked out. For the chocolate, I made a white chocolate bark at first. That didn’t work out so well with the textures so back to the drawing board I went. And the tubelight went off. A white chocolate ganache! Oh it’s so divine! That’s all I can say.
Tips and Tricks:
- If you don’t have a tart pan, use a springform pan instead. It will work just as fine.
- If you don’t have a food processor to grind the graham crackers, place them in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Dark or Milk Chocolate is a great substitute instead of White Chocolate.
- You can use a premade pie crust to cut out a step and make life easier
- Dust the top of your tart with icing sugar to cover up any imperfections – no one will be able to tell!
Pomegranate Curd and White Chocolate Tart
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust:
- 12 sheets graham crackers
- 1 c macadamia nuts, unsalted
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the Pomegranate Curd:
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 c pomegranate juice
- 2/3 sugar
- 1 c of unsalted butter, diced
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- Pinch of fine salt
- A few drops of red food coloring (optional)
For the White Chocolate Ganache:
- 12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 c heavy cream
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
For the sugared rosemary:
- 1/2 c water
- 1 c sugar, divided
- handful of rosemary, washed and dried thoroughly
- Pomegranate arils to decorate
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and macadamia nuts together into fine crumbs.
- Add in the sugar and pulse 2-3 times to incorporate.
- Now add in the melted butter and mix until well combined.
- Remove from processor and transfer to pie pan.
- Press tightly into the bottom and up the sides of tart pan.
- Place in freezer for 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake crust for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
For the sugared rosemary:
- In a medium saucepan, combine water with 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the rosemary to fully coat in the syrup.
- Remove rosemary with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet to let cranberries dry out for 1 hour.
- Roll rosemary in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar to coat.
- While the rosemary are cooling, make the curd filling.
For the Pomegranate Curd:
- Combine the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and zest in a pot over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Reduce the heat to low, making sure the mixture is below a simmer, and whisk in the butter, eggs, egg yolks, and salt.
- Stir almost constantly, keeping the mixture below a simmer, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon or spatula, about 10-12 minutes.
- If you want a deeper red filling, add in a few drops of red food coloring. This is a completely optional addition.
- Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir to slightly cool down the mixture.
- Pour the warm pomegranate curd into the prepared crust and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the filled tart to the freezer and chill for at least 1-2 hours.
For the White Chocolate Ganache:
- Remove the tart from the freezer and let sit at room temperature while you make the ganache.
- Place the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl.
- Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and small bubbles appear around the edges.
- Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk till smooth.
- Pour the ganache over the tart and spread into a smooth layer.
- Refrigerate overnight or place in freezer for an hour to let it set.
For the sugared rosemary:
- In a medium saucepan, combine water with 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the rosemary to fully coat in the syrup.
- Remove rosemary with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet to let cranberries dry out for 1 hour.
- Roll rosemary in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar to coat.
- While the rosemary are cooling, make the curd filling.
- Once the ganache layer has set, decorate with sugared rosemary and pomegranate arils. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
**note, if there is a nut allergy, remove the addition of macadamia nut. No substitution is needed.
