Sour Cherry Tartlets Recipes

CHERRY TARTS

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.

EASY SOUR CHERRY TARTS

Steps:

• Pit sour cherries if you haven't done so already. The additional time in the recipe is how long you should allow yourself to pit the cherries.
• Combine cherries and sugar in a saucepan. Cook on medium high heat.
• Mix together the water and cornstarch in a small dish. Mixing with water helps to avoid lumps in the sauce. Add to the cherry and sugar mixture when it boils.
• Stir the mixture until it thickens, approximately 1-2 minutes. If it does not thicken, add more cornstarch and water.
• Let cherries cool slightly, then spoon evenly into tart shells.
• Bake for 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. The time will vary depending on your oven. The crust of the tarts should be a golden brown when finished.
• Let cool completely. Add whipped cream, edible flowers (I used violas) and thyme for garnish if you wish.

SOUR CHERRY TART

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.

SWEET-AND-SOUR CHERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flours and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/4 cup water and vodka; pulse 6 times or until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; gently knead 1 to 2 times. Divide dough into 12 equal portions; shape each portion into a ball and press flat. Roll each dough portion into a 4 1/2-inch circle. Arrange dough circles on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap; cover and chill 1 hour or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with oven rack in lower middle position.
• Unwrap dough circles; fit 6 circles into 6 (4-inch) tart pans. Using a 1 1/4-inch star-shaped cutter, cut a star from the center of each of the remaining 6 dough circles. Refrigerate tart shells and lids until ready to use; refrigerate stars, if using.
• Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 5 tablespoons sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add cherries and lemon juice; toss. Spoon about 1/2 cup cherry mixture into each shell; top with dough lids, pressing edges to seal. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. Arrange tartlets on a foil-lined baking sheet; bake at 375°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool 10 minutes. Remove tartlets from pans; cool completely.

CHERRY TART

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.

SOUR CHERRY TARTLETS

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.

BLANCA'S CHERRY CHEESE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place cup cake liners into muffin tins.
• To Make Filling: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in eggs, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly.
• To Make Crust: Combine crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crust forms small crumbs. Put one spoonful of crust into each cup cake liner and pat it down. Spoon a layer of filling on top of crusts.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. When tarts are fresh from oven, spoon cherry pie filling over top of each. Let tarts chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

SOUR CHERRY PRESERVES

Steps:

• Place a round wire rack in the bottom of a large stockpot. The rack should fit as snugly as possible and should stand 1/2 to 1 inch above the bottom of the pot. Stand the three jars on the rack, and add the lids; it is not necessary to add the screw bands. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches; an additional 1 to 2 inches of space should remain below the rim of the pot so the water doesn't overflow. Bring the water to a simmer (180 degrees), and simmer the lids and jars 10 minutes or until you're ready to fill them. Place 4 small plates in the freezer.
• In a medium stockpot, combine sour cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice; place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in one-third of remaining sugar, and cook, stirring, until it has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sugar in two more batches, stirring each batch until sugar has dissolved.
• Bring the mixture to a full boil, and cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Place a candy thermometer in the mixture, and cook, stirring frequently, until the temperature registers 220 degrees. 30 to 40 minutes. While cooking, skim any foam that floats to the surface.
• With the temperature at 220 degrees. perform a gel test: Remove one of the plates from the freezer, and place a spoonful of the jam on it. Return the plate to the freezer, and wait 1 minute. Remove plate from freezer, and gently nudge the edge of the jam with one finger. If the jam is ready, it will wrinkle slightly when pushed. If it is not ready, it will be too thin to wrinkle. If the jam does not wrinkle on the first attempt, cook two or three minutes more, and repeat the gel test.
• Once the jam has gelled properly, remove stockpot from heat. Using canning tongs, remove a jar from the simmering water, and empty the water back into the stockpot. Place the jar on a clean surface, and insert a canning funnel. Using a ladle, pour the jam through the funnel into the jar; fill to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Remove the funnel; wipe rim with a clean damp towel. Using tongs, lift a lid from the hot water; place lid, sealant side down, on the filled jar. Screw down the band, and tighten firmly, being careful not to force it. With the tongs, stand the filled jar in simmering water. Repeat with the remaining jam and jars, making sure the jars aren't touching sides of pot and are spaced 1 inch apart.
• Raise the heat to high, cover stockpot, and bring the water to a boil. Process jars in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Using the canning tongs, transfer the jars to a wire rack to cool completely. Let jars stand 24 hours. Check cooled jars for slight indentation in the lid that indicates a vacuum seal. Store jam in a cool, dark place up to 1 year.
• Use only two cups sugar, and add one cup of juice from the thawed cherries in step two.

TART CHERRY CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Place cherries in an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Sprinkle with sugar. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over cherries. , Bake, uncovered, until top is bubbly, 30-40 minutes. Serve warm.

BRANDIED SOUR CHERRY AND PEAR TARTLETS

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.

SOUR-CHERRY FRANGIPANE TART

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.

PERFECT SOUR CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Press the bottom pie crusts into 2 pie pans.
• Combine cherries, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Let sit until sugar begins to draw out the cherries' juices, about 10 minutes. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat; simmer until the juices thicken and become translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and almond extract until well mixed. Pour into the bottom half of the pie shells. Cover with top crusts, crimp the edges to seal, and cut vents into the top with a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes.