![\"cherries](\"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/cherries-in-bowl.jpg\" "\\"cherries")
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June is here at last and in Northern California that means cherry season is in full swing.\u00a0 I live for this time of year, when I can eat my fill of the sweet, juicy fruit that defines spring in my mind.<\/p>\n
Already I’ve seen Brooks, Burlats and the occasional Royal Ann at the farmers market.\u00a0 The glorious, winey Bings that I cherish are ripening in the orchards that still line the rural roads of Brentwood in Contra Costa County.\u00a0 We’ll be heading that way later this week to pick our own, which always taste so much better.<\/p>\n
The Bings will be terrific in this new tart recipe I’ve developed.\u00a0 But the Brooks and Burlats have been exceptionally good, too.\u00a0 And sour cherries should work well if you boost the sugar in the custard a bit.<\/p>\n
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The tart’s crust is essentially a big almond cookie, the filling a clafouti-style custard studded with plump jewels of cherries.\u00a0\u00a0 It comes together fairly quickly.\u00a0 You pulse raw almonds in a food processor until fairly fine, then whirl together the remaining ingredients for the crust before patting it into a tart tin and prebaking.\u00a0 Dot the shell with cherries, stir together a simple custard to pour among the fruit, and bake.<\/p>\n
Pitting the cherries is the biggest issue for many cooks.\u00a0 Unlike the French,\u00a0 Americans aren’t prepared for pits in their desserts.\u00a0 That’s a shame, at least from the cook’s point of view, but removing the pits was a snap after I found this video<\/a> at gourmet.com. The web site thankfully lives on even though the magazine died last fall.<\/p>\n The secret tool is a large paperclip, unbent to produce two U-shaped ends. You remove the stem, poke one of the ends of the paperclip in the hole and rotate it to find the pit and remove it.\u00a0 After a few tries, it became second nature and I quickly had the couple dozen cherries or so that I needed for the tart.<\/p>\n Anybody can eat cherries out of hand and I do love to devour them that way with the sweet juice dribbling down my chin.\u00a0 But this little trick makes it easier than ever to turn a bowlful of cherries into a memorable dessert, too.<\/p>\n \u00bd cup raw almonds To make the crust:\u00a0 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.<\/p>\n Pulse almonds in a food processor just until finally ground.\u00a0 Add brown sugar, \u00be cup of the flour and salt to the work bowl and whirl a couple of seconds, until well blended.\u00a0 Cut butter into about 12 pieces, add to work bowl and pulse until mixture begins to look like coarse meal.\u00a0 Do not over-process.\u00a0 Beat 1 egg well in a small bowl.\u00a0 With motor running, pour egg down the feed tube and process until mixture begins to come together in a ball.\u00a0\u00a0 Turn the dough into a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and pat it evenly into the bottom and up the sides, using floured fingers if necessary.\u00a0 You may also chill the dough in the refrigerator for a few minutes if it’s too sticky to handle easily.<\/p>\n Place tart pan on a baking sheet, line loosely with parchment paper, and fill with dried beans or rice to weight it down.\u00a0 (I use a pound of dried beans that I reuse over and over.)\u00a0 Blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove paper and weights and bake for 15 minutes more, until it begins to turn a light golden brown.\u00a0 Remove baking sheet and pan from oven and let cool.\u00a0 This can be done up to a day in advance.<\/p>\n To make the filling:\u00a0 Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees while you arrange the cherries on the bottom of the crust.\u00a0 In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour.\u00a0 Add egg and whisk until the custard batter is shiny and all the flour has been incorporated.\u00a0 Stir in cream and whisk again until batter is smooth.<\/p>\n Carefully pour filling among cherries, trying not to cover the fruit.\u00a0 Depending on the size of the cherries, you may not be able to use all of the filling. \u00a0 If the filling threatens to overflow the pan, pull lower rack about halfway out of oven and place baking sheet and tart pan rack before pouring in the last possible drops of batter.\u00a0 Push in rack, close oven door, and bake for about 45 minutes, until the top turns a light golden brown.\u00a0\u00a0 (Any leftover batter can be baked off in a custard cup at the same time.)<\/p>\n Remove tart and let cool on a wire rack.\u00a0 Serve at room temperature.\u00a0 Although the tart will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, it’s best on the day it’s baked.<\/p>\n Aleta Watson<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" June is here at last and in Northern California that means cherry season is in full swing.\u00a0 I live for this time of year, when I can eat my fill of the sweet, juicy fruit that defines spring in my mind. Already I’ve seen Brooks, Burlats and the occasional Royal Ann at the farmers market.\u00a0 … Continue reading Sweet cherries, terrific tart<\/span> SWEET CHERRY TART<\/strong>
\nMakes one 9-inch tart<\/em><\/p>\n
\n3 tablespoons brown sugar
\n\u00be cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, divided use
\n1\/8 teaspoon salt
\n6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
\n2 eggs, divided use
\n24-30 sweet cherries, pitted
\n1\/3 cup granulated sugar
\n1 cup cream
\n1 teaspoon vanilla<\/p>\n