There is nothing quite like the explosive taste of a fresh ruby red cherry in your mouth. Not only are cherries beautiful and taste divine, but they also provide powerful nutrients and phytonutrients. Although not grown in the south, southerners look forward to cherry season in Washington, Oregon and Michigan like everyone else. This tart recipe lets fresh cherries shine with a simple butter crust, one cup of cherries and less than a tablespoon of sugar in each tart. And you can make these tarts into fall with fresh peaches, blackberries blueberries, pears and apples. Delicious, nutritious and easy to make!
For more health information about cherries, click here.
Rustic Cherry Tart
Makes 6 four-inch tarts
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (Kerrygold preferred, chilled in the freezer for about 30 minutes)
- 1/4 cup ice cold water
For the filling:
- 4 cups pitted sweet cherries
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl or food processor, mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Blend the flour mixture with cubes of butter with a pastry blender or food processor until you have pea sized crumbs and no visible lumps of butter.
- Slowly add cold water over the mixture and stir or process until the dough forms a ball. Chill the dough as a disk for at least an hour in a baggie or plastic wrap.
- Preheat oven to 400º F. Mix the cherries with the sugar and cornstarch.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal parts. Roll each into a 6-inch circle.
- Spoon ¾ of a cup of cherries into the center of each circle leaving about 1 1/2 inches of crust around the edges.
- Gently fold the edge of the crust over the cherries, pleating as you go. Brush the crust with beaten egg.
- Place on an 11×17 half sheet pan covered with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crust is brown and the cherries are tender.
Adapted from chocolatewithgrace.com
