Cherry Almond Tart

Thursday, 10 July 2008

Years ago, when faced with a surfeit of cherries, we found this recipe -- in a most abbreviated form -- in an old edition of Larousse Gastronomique, the indispensable dictionary of French cooking. There it was called "Danish Cherry Tart or Flan." For the Pastry: (Makes 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cold, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 egg yolk For the Filling 6 cups pitted cherries 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 cup whole almonds 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1.) Preheat the oven to 400. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the egg yolk and process, pulsing on and off, until the dough comes together to form a crumbly ball. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a 10-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch tart ring and fill. 2.) To make the filling, toss the cherries with lemon juice, then pile them into the pastry-lined tart pan, and set aside. In a food processor, combine the almonds, sugar, and cinnamon. Process until the almonds are finely ground. With the motor running, add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla, and process until smooth. With a rubber spatula, spread the almond mixture over the cherries. Bake until the tart is browned and beginning to crack on the surface, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool thoroughly on a rack, then remove from the pan.

 

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