Open Faced Cherry Tart

Ingredients

    • 1 cup
      250 mL all-purpose flour
    • 2 tbsp
      30 mL cornmeal
    • 2 tsp
      10 mL granulated sugar
    • ¼ tsp
      1 mL salt
    • ½ cup
      125 mL cold unsalted butter, cubed
    • ¼ cup
      50 mL ice water (approximately)
    • ¼ cup
      125 mL finely crumbled Italian macaroons
    • 4 cups
      1 L California cherries, pitted
    • 2 tsp
      10 mL orange peel
    • 2 tbsp
      30 mL granulated sugar
    • ¼ tsp
      1 mL cinnamon
    • tsp
      0.5 mL almond extract (optional)
    • 1
      egg yolk
    • 1 tsp
      5 mL granulated sugar
    • Whipped cream or ice cream for serving

Instructions

    1. In food processor, pulse flour with cornmeal, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until it is the size of peas with a few larger pieces. Drizzle with 3 tbsp (45 mL) water. Pulse until mixture is moistened, adding remaining water by ½ tsp (2 mL) if needed. Pulse just until dough starts to gather into a ball. Then turn out onto work surface. Gather and knead gently to bring together. Shape into disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 3 days.
    2. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
    3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface roll dough very thinly into a circle measuring about 12 inch (30 cm). Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect circle. Discard excess dough. Carefully wrap dough around rolling pin and transfer to parchment paper.
    4. Sprinkle macaroons in centre of circle, leaving a 1½ inch (3.5 cm) border.
    5. Place cherries in bowl along with orange peel, sugar, cinnamon and almond extract. Stir well to evenly distribute orange peel. Turn cherry mixture onto macaroons. Fold pastry over cherries to enclose, leaving a circle of about 5 inches (12.5 cm) in the middle, in which you can still see the fruit.
    6. To make glaze, whisk egg yolk with 1 tbsp (15 mL) water then brush over pastry. Sprinkle pastry with sugar.
    7. Bake on bottom shelf of preheated oven until a deep golden, 20 to 23 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes

Delicious with whipped cream or ice cream.