This hawthorn tart features a silky pink hawthorn curd in a crisp orange shortbread crust. The filling has a bright, slightly tart flavor that’s somewhere between green apple and raspberry. It’s a very special dessert that can only be made in early fall, when hawthorn berries are ripe and bountiful.
It’s a little bit of work to make this hawthorn tart, between gathering the berries (or “haws”, as they’re called), extracting their juice, and making the curd. However, I had so much fun making this, and the recipe really lets hawthorn shine as the hero ingredient here.
Harvesting hawthorn berries
Hawthorn trees grow abundantly in temperate regions across the US, so you probably have your eye on some trees near you that are full of tiny fruits by the end of the summer. To identify a hawthorn tree, look for their distinctive lobed leaves, white or pink blossoms in the spring, and clusters of dark red berries in the late summer and fall.
They’re in the rose family and are a close relative of the apple. Both their flowers and their fruits look very similar to those of apple trees. They are often found in woodlands, urban environments (check your local park!), and public landscaping.
Gather the berries when they’re fully ripe, usually late summer or early fall. You can tell they’re ready when they’ve turned a bright, vibrant red and are a little bit squishy. The texture reminds me of a ripe banana. Their inner flesh should be creamy yellow (if it’s brown, they’re past prime).
Gently pluck the ripe berries from the branches, watching out for the hawthorn trees’ infamous thorns. The haws should pop off the branches pretty easily. Avoid picking berries that are green, overly squishy, or bug-ridden.
Making hawthorn juice
After harvesting, clean the hawthorn berries by removing any stems and leaves and giving them a good rinse. Pick out any berries that are underripe, overripe, or buggy.
Then, add berries, salt, and a little water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat until water and berries come to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for about 30-40 minutes, until the berries have fallen apart. The juice in the pan will be thick and sticky at this point.
Next, pour the hawthorn berries and all their juices into a jelly bag or cheesecloth-lined colander. Place this in a large bowl to collect the juices. Let it sit for about an hour or so, until the juices stop dripping. Give the bag a good squeeze to extract as much hawthorn juice as possible.
I found that four cups of haws yielded about ¾ cup of juice, which is enough to make the curd for this hawthorn tart. For more information on making hawthorn juice, see my guide on harvesting & cooking hawthorn berries.
How to make the hawthorn tart
To make the tart, first prepare your shortbread tart crust. You’ll want to have the crust baked and cooled before the hawthorn curd is ready.
Next, make the curd. Whisk together sugar, eggs, hawthorn juice, lemon & orange juice, and salt. Create a double boiler by placing a small pot on the stove with about an inch or two of water at the bottom. Heat over medium heat, placing the bowl of hawthorn curd ingredients on top.
Simmer this for several minutes, whisking frequently. Cook until the hawthorn curd is thick and forms a ribbon when dropped from the whisk, about 7-10 minutes. Finally, turn off the heat and whisk in the butter.
To make sure the curd is silky-smooth, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and allow it to cool.
Once the hawthorn curd and tart crust are both cool, pour the curd into the crust. You’ll want to chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before decorating, so that it can set up a little bit.Then, decorate it however you wish! Halved hawthorn berries and tiny edible flowers look lovely on this tart.
Hawthorn tart variations
I used both fresh lemon and orange juice in the curd to complement the flavor of the hawthorn berry here. If you want the curd to be a little bit sweeter, you could use all orange juice and omit the lemon.
For the crust, feel free to use any tart crust recipe you prefer. I loved the way the orange paired with the flavor of hawthorn (which is so similar to cranberry). However, you could flavor it with lemon or vanilla instead, or even leave it plain. An olive oil tart crust could be fun too!
top Tip
See my recipe for shortbread tart crust for my best advice and top seven tips to make the perfect tart crust!
I hope you enjoy this very special tart! Happy foraging and baking!
Hawthorn Berry Tart
Equipment
- 9-inch tart pan
Ingredients
Orange Shortbread Tart Crust
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Hawthorn Berry Curd
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup hawthorn juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 ounces unsalted butter, cold & diced
Instructions
For the shortbread tart crust:
- In a large bowl, cream butter, powdered sugar, and orange zest until well combined and fluffy.
- Add flour, cornstarch, and salt; mix until just combined.
- Add orange juice and mix until just combined.
- Butter a 9-inch tart pan. Divide the shortbread dough into small pieces and distribute it throughout the tart pan. Use your fingers and palm to press the dough into the pan. Try to make it as even as you can on the bottom of the pan and press the dough up into the sides, all the way to the top of the pan. It will take a few minutes to distribute the dough and even it out.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper over the dough and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Freeze the dough for at least 20 minutes.
- Once dough is thoroughly chilled, preheat oven to 375° F. Bake tart dough until golden around the edges and mostly baked through, about 22-27 minutes. Remove parchment paper and pie weights, decrease oven temperature to 325°F, and bake an additional 5-8 minutes, until the bottom crust is fully baked through.
- Allow to cool completely before filling.
For the hawthorn curd:
- In a medium metal bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, hawthorn juice, lemon & orange juice, and salt.
- Create a double boiler by placing a small pot on the stove with about an inch or two of water at the bottom. Heat over medium heat, placing the bowl of hawthorn curd ingredients on top. The water shouldn't be touching the bowl.
- Simmer for several minutes, whisking frequently. Cook until hawthorn curd is thick and forms a ribbon when dropped from the whisk, about 7-10 minutes.
- Turn off heat and whisk in butter.
- Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and allow to cool before adding it to the tart crust.
To assemble the tart:
- Remove cooled tart crust from tart pan and place on a plate or serving platter. Fill with cooled hawthorn curd.
- Give the tart a gentle jiggle to help smooth out the curd so it forms a smooth, even filling.
- Allow the tart to chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before decorating. You want to be sure the filling is set so any toppings will stay on top of the curd.
- Decorate as desired. I piped thin semi-circles of white chocolate on top and placed tiny edible flowers, leaves, and pieces of hawthorn berries on top.
- Keep tart refrigerated. Once set and decorated, slice and serve.
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
