FOR THE CRANBERRY CURD:

1. Bring the cranberries, sugar, water, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until all the cranberries have burst and started to break down, about 10 minutes.
2. While the cranberries cook, whisk egg yolks and cornstarch in bowl until smooth (reserve the egg whites for the meringue topping). Carefully transfer the hot cranberry mixture to a high speed blender or food processor. Immediately add in the yolk mixture and blend until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
3. Let the curd cool in the blender or processor bowl until a skin forms and the curd registers 120 to 125 degrees (this will take 45 minutes to 1 hour) While the curd cools, make the crust.

FOR THE CRUST:

1. Set the oven rack to the middle position & pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two 8″ wide sheets of parchment. Lay sheets in the pan perpendicular to each other, with extra parchment hanging over edges of pan.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl until well combined. Pour in melted butter and stir until a uniform dough forms. Press dough to an even thickness in the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Let crust cool for 20 minutes before adding the curd.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Add the softened butter to the cranberry puree and blend until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing on solids with rubber spatula to extract curd. Transfer the cranberry curd to the crust (it’s okay if crust is still warm) and smooth into even layer.
2. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before topping & serving.

FOR THE TOPPING:

1. To the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the whisk attachment (or in a clean small bowl and an electric hand mixer), add the egg white. Beat until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar & salt and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with the desired tip (I used a star tip).
3. Right before serving, slice up the cold cranberry bars with a sharp chef’s knife. I sliced into 8 larger bars, but you could also slice into 16 smaller bars.
4. Pipe little dollops of meringue onto the top of each bar. You can use a torch to toast the meringue. Garnish with lemon zest and thin slices of raw cranberry. Enjoy!