Celebrate cherry season with this decadent, free-form tart. Featuring bright orange and lemon and sweet brown sugar and cinnamon, this recipe is a great way to enjoy fresh or frozen cherries. Simply mix, chill and roll out the quick-crust dough, fill with an easy-to-make cherry filling and bake. Enjoy with a scoop of locally produced vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a truly divine dessert.
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: moderate
Prep time: 30 min
Inactive time: 1 hour
Bake time: 45 min
Special tools: food processor, parchment paper
Ingredients
Quick Crust
1 c + 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
pinch salt
1/2 c (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
1/4 c very cold or ice water
1 egg, beaten with 1 T water for brushing dough
2 T turbinado sugar
Cherry Filling
2 lb pitted cherries, fresh or frozen or combination, halved
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 T cornstarch
1/2 t nutmeg, freshly grated
1 T lemon juice, fresh
1 T orange zest, fresh
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T Kirsch (cherry liqueur)
Steps
Quick Crust
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a processor, mix all dry ingredients and pulse a few times. Add butter and process until butter is about pea-sized, approx. 1 min. Drizzle in water while processor is running and mix until dough comes together (will be slightly wet). Shape dough into a rough disc, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour (can be made 2-3 days in advance). When dough is chilled, lightly flour a work surface, using enough flour to easily lift dough. Roll dough out to a 12″ rough circle. Line sheet pan with parchment paper. Transfer dough to sheet pan and add cherry filling to center, leaving 2″ borders. Fold up sides, overlapping/pleating every few inches. Egg wash each pleat to keep its shape while baking. Brush all exposed dough (sides and top) with egg wash and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Chill tart for 15 min before baking. Bake 40-45 min, rotating at 30 min, until crust is a deep golden color and cherries have begun to release juices. Let tart cool 10-15 min before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, as desired.
Cherry Filling
Combine pitted and halved cherries with remaining ingredients. Let rest 20 min at room temperature. Fill tart as described above.
