Sour Cherry Tartlets Recipes

Steps:

• Make pastry:
• Mix first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Add butter. Rub in with fingers until butter is size of small peas. Add egg; mix until dough comes together. Gather into ball. Shape into 5-inch-long log. Wrap in waxed paper; chill 1 hour.
• Make pastry cream:
• Whisk yolks and 1/4 cup sugar in heavy small saucepan. Whisk in flour, then milk. Add lemon peel. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla. Transfer to bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface. Chill until cold, about 1 hour. (Pastry and pastry cream can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut dough into twenty 1/4-inch-thick slices. Roll out 1 dough slice between sheets of floured plastic wrap to 3 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 3-inch-diameter tartlet pan with 1/2-inch-high sides. Repeat with 9 more dough pieces and tartlet pans.
• Remove lemon peel from pastry cream. Spoon 1 tablespoon pastry cream into each crust. Top each with 2 teaspoons jam. Roll remaining 10 dough pieces out between sheets of floured plastic wrap to 3 1/2-inch rounds. Place 1 round atop each tartlet. Pinch dough edges together to seal.
• Place tartlets on baking sheet. Bake until pastry is golden on top, about 30 minutes. Using small knife, loosen tartlets from pans. Remove from pans. Transfer to rack; cool. Sift powdered sugar over.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C
• For the pastry: Put the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces, and pinch with the fingers to create a crumb texture. Make a well in the middle, and add the eggs. Quickly work in the flour mixture to create dough. Do not over-mix. Pat into a disk and refrigerate 15 minutes before rolling out. Fit into a 9-inch tart pan.
• For the filling: Arrange the cherries in the crust. Beat the eggs with the sugar, and then stir in the creme fraiche and vanilla. Pour the custard over the cherries. Bake until set, about 25 minutes. Cool before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• To make the crust, pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the yolk and pulse again until the dough forms clumps and curds.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly and sparingly, knead just to incorporate dry ingredients.
• Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Freeze crust at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Bake blind for 15 minutes, remove the weight and let cool.
• For the filling, pulse almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and the whole egg and process until the mixture is smooth.
• Spread the mixture on the partially baked tart dough. Smooth the top and place the sour cherries.
• Reduce the temperature to 350° F and bake for another 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is just beginning to brown around the edges. Serve warm.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, process the flour (or flour and semolina, which gives it extra crunch) and butter, then add the sugar, followed by the beaten egg and just enough water (about 2 tbsp) to form a dough. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, to make the filling, place the sugar, ground almonds, butter, egg and egg yolk in a bowl and mix to make a creamy paste. Stir in the kirsch or Armagnac. Chill for at least 20 mins.
• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Roll the pastry out onto a floured surface and use to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Fill with lightly greased foil and baking beans and bake for 20-25 mins, removing foil after 15 mins, until golden. Spread the almond paste onto the base of the pastry and bake for 25 mins until golden and crisp. When the tart comes out of the oven, arrange the cherries on top in a single layer. Heat the cherry conserve with 1 tbsp water until smooth, then brush over the cherries. Leave to cool before removing from the tin. Cut into wedges to serve, adding a spoonful of crème fraîche if you like.

Steps:

• Blend together flour, salt, butter, shortening, and 2 tablespoons sugar with your fingertips or a pastry blender in a large bowl (or pulse in a food processor, then transfer to a large bowl) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 1/2 cup ice water and gently stir with a fork until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and divide into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, then flatten each into a 5- to 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Peel, halve, and core pears. Cut pears into 1/4-inch dice, then stir together with remaining filling ingredients in a 3-quart heavy pot. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to a shallow dish and cool to room temperature.
• Roll out smaller disk of dough into a 13-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, lifting up dough carefully and flouring surface as necessary to keep dough from sticking.
• Cut out as many rounds as possible (about 12) with 3 1/2-inch fluted cutter, transferring as cut to a wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Chill rounds until firm, about 10 minutes, before decorating. Gather dough scraps and chill 20 to 30 minutes, then reroll, cut, and chill additional 31/2-inch rounds (reroll scraps only once) for a total of 16.
• Cut out shapes from rounds with decorative cutters or a sharp paring knife, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge, and reserve cutout pieces if desired for additional decoration. Brush tops lightly with milk. Lightly press reserved cutouts (if using) onto decorated pastry rounds and brush lightly with milk. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar evenly over tops and chill while making bottoms.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out larger disk of dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on floured surface with floured rolling pin, lifting up dough carefully and flouring surface as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Cut out as many rounds as possible (about 12) with 4-inch cutter. Gather dough scraps and chill 20 to 30 minutes, then reroll and cut additional 4-inch rounds (reroll scraps only once) for a total of 16. Fit each 4-inch round into a tartlet pan (don't trim). Fill each tartlet with 3 tablespoons cooled filling and brush edge of pastry lightly with milk. Place decorated tops over filling in each tartlet, then press each top lightly around edge to help seal edges and trim pastry if necessary.
• Bake tartlets on a large baking sheet until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer tartlets to a rack and cool 10 minutes. To remove tartlets from pans, cover 1 hand with a folded kitchen towel and invert tartlets 1 at a time onto towel, reinverting them onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees, butter a 9" spring-form pan dust with ground almonds (or fine, dry unseasoned bread crumbs), shake out extra, set aside.
• Drain cherries, then spread in a single layer on several thicknesses of paper towel, while you continue to prepare the torte.
• Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave, watch carefully, don't allow any water to get in the chocolate or it will seize.
• Cream the butter, add extracts and sugar, beat well; add eggs one at a time beating after each until mixed.
• On low add chocolate, beat until mixed, add almonds, then flour mixing just until incorporated.
• Spread about half or a little more of the batter into the pan (it is thick, using an offset spatula helps) place cherries one at a time over batter in a single layer, they can touch the sides, spoon and spread the remaining batter over the cherries, going slow helps prevent pull up.
• Bake 45 -50 minutes, the cake will be dry and crusty on top and a toothpick will come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes on a rack, then remove sides of the pan, let stand until almost cool ( to serve warm this is about 30 minutes).
• To remove bottom of the pan - cover cake with a rack and flip over, remove pan bottom - you may need to slip a thin spatula between the torte and pan bottom to loosen, cover cake with serving plate and flip back over ( I've been know to serve from the pan bottom, just keep your thin spatula handy).
• Note: Almonds should be finely ground in a blender or food processor, they should be almost powdery). Almond meal or almond flour (fancy names for ground almonds) can be found in some health food stores or at Trader Joes, though it can be very pricey under some labels. I prefer the freshness of grinding the almonds myself.
• Use real whipping cream unless you have dairy issues; a little kirsch added as you whip it is a nice touch.

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:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Pour melted butter over granulated sugar; stir to dissolve. Let cool 10 minutes. Whisk together both flours and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir into butter mixture until thoroughly combined.
• Press dough into prepared pan, making sides slightly thicker than bottom. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until slightly puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Filling: Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, cream, almond extract, and granulated sugar. In another bowl, whisk together both flours and salt, then whisk into egg mixture until smooth. Arrange cherries in cooled crust in a single layer; gently pour batter around them. Bake, rotating once, until golden brown and just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let tart cool at least 30 minutes, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve.

Steps:

• For the pate brisee, place the flour, sugar, salt and butter pieces in owl and crush the butter into the dry ingredients with the tips of your fingers until combined somewhat but with pieces of butter still visible in the mixture. Add the ice water and stir with a fork just until the mixture holds together. Gather it up, pressing it between your hands to flatten it and make it round, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.
• Rub a small amount of flour into a pastry cloth and roll the dough into a very thin circle, about 12 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and gently fit it into the bottom and up the sides of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough against the sides of the pan to fill in any holes and make it adhere to the metal. Remove any excess overhanging dough by rolling the rolling pin across the top of the pan. Refrigerate the tart shell for one hour.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the cherries, tapioca, sugar and almond extract. Sprinkle the ground almond-sugar mixture in the pastry shell and arrange the cherry mixture on top. Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven for one to one-and-a-quarter hours, until the dough is nicely browned. Unmold and serve with strong coffee.