Tartin' it up with Cherries!

Cherry season is upon us and I decided to take advantage of the sale on bing cherries at work.  So I bought eight pounds. Maybe a bit excessive, but I can make all kinds of cherry goodies and if I can't get to it right away, the cherries can join their friends the blueberries in the freezer!

For my first cherry project I went with this cherry almond tart, which utilizes the same tart dough I used in my summer fruit crostata.  I still had a chunk in the freezer (it helps to plan ahead and make extra!) so it was a snap to defrost it in the refrigerator over night and roll it out when I was ready to bake.  I couldn't ask for a better dough to pair with the sweet almond filling and juicy cherries.  But if you're looking to streamline the process, try using puff pastry from the frozen section at the grocery store.

I've never made this exact recipe before, and like pretty much all of the cooking and baking I do, I experiment a lot and make changes to recipes to suit my own tastes.  When I was a pastry chef on a train, I used to make a pear tart using almond paste, which is one of my most favorite ingredients.  But since it's Summer, I liked the idea of using cherries with the almond filling, so I went for it.  I know a lot of people at home are not comfortable with "winging it" but I really encourage you to do this.  It will build your cooking skills and your confidence and makes for great experience because you always learn something.  Like today, I learned that when baking this tart, the almond filling puffed up and and engulfed the cherries, almost totally hiding them.  But I didn't panic, I just put some more cherries on top and finished baking the tart.  So I'm passing that knowledge on to you and writing the recipe so that the cherries are added when the filling is partially set, that way you can still see the pretty red lumps peeking out of the sweet almond filling.  See,  experimenting in the kitchen is fun!

Cherry Almond Tart
I used an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom

Crust
Use the crust of your choice, I like the Sweet Pastry Crust from the Joy of Baking website

Filling
1 7-ounce tube almond paste
4 Tb. unsalted butter, softened
3 Tb. flour
2 Tb.sugar
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups pitted cherries (approximate)

Place an empty sheet pan on the bottom rack of the oven and pre-heat to 400 degrees.  Roll out your crust of choice and press into the tart pan. Use a fork to prick holes all over the crust to keep it from bubbling up and shrinking.  Place the pan into the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until solid.  Remove the pan from the freezer and line with a piece of parchment paper or foil.  Fill the pan with beans or pie weights and bake on the hot pan for 20 minutes until the crust is partially set.  Remove the paper and beans and set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.  Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

In a mixer bowl, combine the sugar, salt, flour, almond paste and butter.  Mix on medium speed until the mixture comes together and forms a ball.  Add the eggs and beat well until there are no big lumps.  Almond paste has a grainy texture, so it won't be perfectly smooth.

Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.  Place back on the pan and cook for 20 minutes, until the filling is lightly puffed and starting to set.  Remove the pan from the oven and gently press the cherries onto the filling.  You can scatter them around or make a pattern, your choice.  Use as many cherries as you like.  Put the pan back into the oven onto the top rack, and allow to cook for approximately 15 minutes more, until the filling is golden brown.  Place the tart on a rack and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before you dive in.  This tart slices best when it is completely cooled, but my friend Leslie and I couldn't wait long enough and attacked it while it was still warm.  It is also delicious cold or at room temperature.  Just eat it, trust me.

Line the pan with the crust, dock with a fork and freeze until firm.

Blind bake the crust for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Mix the almond paste, flour, sugar and butter.

Add the eggs and beat until it looks like this.

I added the cherries first, like this.

But the cherries disappeared!  Quick, throw some more on there!

All's well that ends well!

I love happy endings.  And this tart.

I'm crazy.

Even though I spent all day cooking in a hot kitchen, and even though it was 95+ degrees outside, I thought it would be fun to make an impromptu tart for the blog.  I have to post more often if I want to increase my traffic, so why the hell not?  Oh, and I thought of this fantastic idea at 8:00 at night, after I had already made a beer can chicken and salad for dinner.  So yes, I'm crazy.

But about that tart.  This is my version of a crostata (rustic Italian free form tart) or a galette, the French version.  The difference being that I use my favorite crust for tarts, pate sucree, or sweet dough.  Crostatas and galettes typically employ pate brisee, a short dough.  Pate sucree has a crisp, cookie-like texture that I love.  It is typically used in tarts that are first blind baked and then filled with goodies such as lemon curd, pastry cream, chocolate ganache and fruit.  But I like to mix things up, so go ahead and throw that fresh fruit in there and pop it in the oven.

For the fruit I used sliced strawberries, peaches and a handful of blueberries.  Use whatever fruit looks best to you and I highly recommend combinations.  Raspberries and peaches would be lovely.  The amount of sugar and thickener you use will depend on the sweetness and juiciness of your fruit.  I used King Arthur Flour's instant Clearjel, but you can substitute with about half the amount of cornstarch.

This is a tasty, beautifully unfussy dessert that doesn't require too much time.  The cookie-ish crust really stands up well to the cooked fruit, and finished with a little whipped cream, this is the perfect ending to a casual summer dinner.

Sweet Pastry Crust recipe available here on The Joy of Baking website.

Crostata My Way

1 recipe sweet dough
1 lb. sliced strawberries
2 small peaches, peeled  and sliced.
1 cup blueberries
5 Tb.  sugar
4 Tb.  instant Clearjel (or cornstarch, about half)
2 Tb. heavy cream
1 Tb. raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare the sweet dough and chill as directed.  While the dough is chilling, combine the fruit and half the sugar in a bowl and let sit for about 20 minutes to bring out the juices.  Combine the remaining sugar and the Clearjel or cornstarch and set aside.

After the dough has chilled, roll it out into about a 10-inch circle and transfer to a baking sheet.  I prefer to do this using parchment paper.  Sprinkle the sugar/thickener mixture over the fruit and toss well.  Pile the fruit up in the center of the dough circle,  leaving a few inches of border. Fold over the excess dough, partially covering the filling.  Press any cracks together and patch up any holes that may have occurred during the folding process.   This is a very forgiving dough, you can mold it and press it as  needed.  Brush the edges of the dough with heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar to add a nice crunch.  Place the sheet pan on the bottom rack of your oven (to help the dough set) for 25 minutes.  Lower the heat to 350 and bake an additional 15 to 25 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is lightly browned.

Combine the fruit and half of the sugar in a bowl.

The beautiful fruit piled onto the dough.

Fold the dough around the fruit.

Brush the dough with heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar.

The baked crostata.  Don't worry about those lovely juices leaking out.

A delicious slice for me!

Sweet, crisp dough filled with juicy summer fruit.

I think this tart is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.  If you are weird and have leftovers you can refrigerate them, but don't let them linger too long as the crust will get soggy.