Cherry Tart
The tart crust is really the star of the show here. It has a perfect combination of crumbly, buttery, and crispy. What's most remarkable is that it's super easy to make -- this is probably the easiest tart / pie recipe I've ever seen in my life. It's certainly different from your typical pie crust; pie crust tends to be more flaky, this is more akin to shortbread. It goes wonderfully with the cherries and the fillings. Everything is well-balanced and feels proportional. Definitely give this a try if you have a lot of extra cherries on hand!
Active Time: 45 min
Total Time: 1 hr 15 min
Ingredients
for the crust:
> butter (1/2 cup, melted and cooled)
> sugar (1/2 cup)
> flour (1 1/4 cup)
> salt (pinch)
> almond meal (2 tbsp)
for the filling:
> heavy cream (3/4 cup)
> egg (2)
> vanilla extract (1 tsp)
> sugar (3 tbsp)
> flour (2 tbsp)
> cherries (1 lb, pitted)
Instructions
1. Prepare the crust. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar with a spatula. Add the flour and salt, and stir until fully incorporated. The dough should be very soft.
2. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom, in small pieces. Distribute them on the bottom. First press evenly into the sides, and then the base, with floured fingertips.
3. Bake for 15-18 minute in a 350 degree oven, until beginning to brown.
4. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle the almond meal over the base.
5. (in the meantime) Prepare the filling. Whisk together the cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Then add the flour and whisk until well mixed.
6. Tightly arrange the pitted cherries over the pastry base. Slowly pour the cream mixture evenly over the cherries.
7. Return the tart to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is barely firm, still jiggling slightly in the center.
8. Cool completely on a wired rack. Serve dusted with powdered sugar and fresh cherries.
Notes/Tips:
> Almond meal is essentially the same thing as almond flour, except more coarse. In practice, almond flour works fine as well; the main goal of dusting the bottom of the tart with almond meal is to soak up some of the liquid, and prevent the bottom from getting too soggy.
> Pack the cherries tightly. There will be plenty of leftover space in between the cherries to fill with the cream mixture. For this dish, I would suggest using whole pitted cherries, instead of halving them.
> This recipe can be scaled to larger or smaller tarts; if you're using a smaller tart consider adjusting the cooking time accordingly -- at least the filling will definitely cook faster.