Cherries were on sale this week so I bought some. I normally wash them and leave them for the family to enjoy as they pass thru the kitchen. I never cook them. But last year I made a Frangipane Plum Tart and it was a hit. It was easy enough, not too sweet and yet very satisfying to our sweet tooth. Which got me to thinking about these pretty little cherries. I decided to make another fruit tart and use the cherries. They wouldn’t be so tart….:) The first thing I had to do was to pit the cherries. Now, I have to tell you, I have never pitted cherries before in my life. I have always wondered how anyone had the patience.
I searched the web and found several suggestions of ways to pit cherries … using everything from chopsticks to paring knives to smashing them as you would a clove of garlic and forcing it out the sides…ugh. Only thing is all these ways would leave the cherry smashed or cut up and totally unrecognizable. I don’t cook enough with cherries to warrant buying a real cherry pitter…. I had decided cherry dishes were best left with the pros and I’m not one of them.
Then I read that they can be pitted using a very stiff drinking straw. You can simply push the seed out. Only problem was, I didn’t have a stiff straw. Then as I rummaged thru my kitchen “accessory’ drawer…aka: Very Important junk drawer, I found what appeared to be a broken thermometer casing. It worked like it was made for the job
It was so easy and I was so proud of myself ~ I can pit a cherry! In no time, I had pitted 2 cups. The recipe is so simple. And delicious~
I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. And I will never be intimidated by a cherry recipe again…
Ingredients
- Topping:
- 2 TBLS butter
- 2 cups pitted cherries
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup toasted almonds
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 TBLS cold butter
- 1 extra large egg
- Filling:
- 8 oz Ricotta
- 8 oz Chèvre
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- juice and zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Make topping first. Bring sugar and butter to a boil. Add cherries and simmer until thickened. Allow to cool completely.
- Preheat Oven 350* Grease 10" springform pan.
- Place sugar, almonds, flour, and butter in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add egg and pulse until soft and smooth. Press into 10 inch spring form pan with hands. I use a small metal measuring cup to press and form a slight edged side to the crust. Bake crust in oven 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add filling.
- Filling:
- Add all ingredients to processor and pulse until blended. Pour into crust and place back into oven and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and pour topping over tart. Return to oven for 5 more minutes. Chill until ready to serve. Best served at room temperature, so I remove from refrigerator a few minutes before serving.
2 Comments
This looks so good! 🙂
August 14, 2013 at 3:22 amThank you, Laura! It is! And it’s simple to make… 🙂
August 16, 2013 at 7:07 pm