Here’s something a little different. I wanted to make a pie, but couldn’t decide what kind (pear? apple? brown butter cheesecake?), so I started flipping through a few baking books. What caught my eye was a recipe for “Warm Cranberry Crumble Tart” in The Art and Soul of Baking, one of the books I brought home from the International Food Blogger’s Conference last spring. Festive, seasonal and something I’d never thought of trying – perfect.

In some ways, this tart is kind of odd. The cranberry-orange flavor is so strongly associated in my mind with turkey that I find it hard to remember I’m eating dessert. But it goes great with vanilla ice cream (especially homemade), which makes up for the fact that the tart isn’t very sweet on its own. The more I ate, the more I liked it.

I made this with my usual Joy of Cooking all-butter pie crust, but it might be better with more of a shortbread crust, or a pressed-in cracker or nut crust. More experimentation, I think, is called for.

Cranberry Crumble Tart

adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet and Sur La Table

Cranberry Tart:

• 1 prebaked tart shell, your choice
• 10 oz cranberries, fresh or thawed
• 1/3 cup sugar
• zest of one orange
• 2 tsp flour

Crumble Topping:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Roughly chop half the cranberries, then combine all of them in a bowl with the sugar, zest and flour. Spread this mixture into the tart shell.

For the crumble, mix together the sugar and flour, then work in the butter either with your fingers or in a processor, until you have a rough sandy texture. Sprinkle this over the tart.

Bake 40 minutes or until the berries are bubbling up around the edges and the crumble is turning golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream, and perhaps a glass of chilled orange muscat. Leftovers keep well for several days, wrapped and chilled.