Cherry Fudge Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add enough water until dough forms a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut out eight 5-in. circles. Place each over an inverted custard cup on an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; flute edges. , Bake 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before removing tart shells from custard cups; cool completely on wire racks., For filling, in a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup juice. Set cherries aside. Stir reserved juice into sugar mixture until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in cherries, butter, almond extract and food coloring if desired. Cool to room temperature. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling into each tart shell.

Steps:

• Line an 8-in. square pan with foil and grease the foil; set aside. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and milk on high for about 1 minute; stir. Microwave in additional 10- to 20-second intervals until melted; stir until smooth. Stir in the almonds, cherries and extract. Spread into prepared pan. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until set. , Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Discard foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• In a microwavable bowl, combine milk and chocolate chips. Microwave on high until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred, about 1 minute. Stir in almonds, cherries and extract. Spread evenly in a greased 8-in. square pan. Cover and chill until firm. Cut into squares. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the biscotti, butter and sugar in a food processor. Blend until the mixture forms moist crumbs that stick together when pressed. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until golden and feels firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Spread the cherry preserves over the cooled crust leaving a 1/2 to 1-inch border.
• For the filling: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the dried cherries and 1/2 cup of the pistachios. Pour the chocolate filling over the cherry preserves and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup pistachios on top. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.
• Loosen the tart from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the edge. Unmold the tart and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt flakes, if using. Cut into wedges and serve.

Steps:

• Make the pastry shell. Mix the flour, sugar, salt and lemon peel in a bowl or food processor. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch slices and work them into the flour mixture with your fingers, or use the pulse motion of your processor, until the pastry is mostly cornmeal-size pieces and the mixture begins to hold together. Combine the water and vanilla and work them into the mixture just until the pastry is well blended and will hold together if you press it. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Wrap in foil and freeze for 30 minutes or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly press foil to line the bottom and sides of the pastry shell and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown. Carefully lift off the weights and foil. Bake the pastry 5 minutes longer. Cool the pan on a wire rack.
• While the pastry bakes, make the cherry filling. Combine 6 tablespoons of the sugar, the wine and the lemon juice in a medium-size saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Heat to boiling. Drop in the cherries and simmer for 5 minutes, or until they are just tender. Cool in the syrup for 30 minutes. Then drain, saving the syrup for another use. (It can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.)
• Meanwhile, make the almond custard. Whisk the egg and egg yolk in a mixing bowl until blended and gradually whisk in the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow. Whisk in the flour. Heat the milk to boiling in a small saucepan and whisk it into the egg mixture in a thin stream. Whisk until smooth. Pour into a medium-size saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking slowly, until the mixture coagulates into lumps. Whisk vigorously until the custard is smooth. Lower the heat and beat with a wooden spoon 2 to 3 minutes longer to cook the flour thoroughly. Remove from the heat; beat in the butter, Cognac and extracts. Fold in the almonds and the drained cherries.
• Preheat the broiler. Spread the cherry filling in the tart shell. Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar over the tart and broil 2 to 3 minutes to caramelize the sugar lightly.

Steps:

• For crust:
• Combine flour, sugar, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles fine meal. Add egg and process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
• For filling:
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Mix preserves, chopped cherries, peel, and almond extract in medium bowl.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 11-inch round. Transfer round to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough gently into pan; trim overhang even with top of pan sides. Spread filling in crust; sprinkle with pistachios. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 11-inch round; cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Arrange several strips, spaced 3/4 inch apart, over filling. Top with more strips at slight angle, forming lattice. Press strip ends to edge of pan, trimming overhang.
• For glaze:
• Beat egg and whole milk in small bowl to blend. Brush some of glaze over lattice crust; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake tart until crust is golden brown and cherry filling is bubbling thickly, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack. (Tart can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.)