Fresh Cherry Tart Recipe

Fresh Cherry Tart Recipe

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 45

chill time: 3 15

Total Time: 5

Servings: slices

Calories: 330kcal

Author: Emily

An impressive and delicious Fresh Cherry Tart that tastes as good as it looks!

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Equipment

Ingredients

Cherry Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cups cherries, pitted

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Crust

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces (2 sticks)
¼ cup ice-cold water
3 large egg yolks, beaten

Pastry Cream and Cherry Topping

½ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 pinch kosher salt
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup heavy whipping cream, cold
3 cups cherries, pitted and cut in half

Instructions

Cherry Syrup

Add water, sugar, and cherries into a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring and smashing cherries until boiling. Boil for 1 minute and then remove the pan from the heat.
Smash the cherries a little more to release the juices and then allow the mixture to cool completely. Once cooled, strain the cherries from the syrup place the syrup into the refrigerator until ready to use.

Crust

Place the flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl and stir to combine. Add butter pieces and incorporate them with a pastry cutter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the ice water a little at a time, mixing in each time until all of the water is incorporated. Add the egg yolks last, and mix in until you have a wet, sticky dough.
Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a ball. Divide the dough in half and pat each half into round discs. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
Once chilled, place the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to about a 12-inch round that is about ¼ inch thick (it doesn't have to be perfect because you will cut off the excess).
Gently place the rolled-out dough onto your tart pan and pat it into place using your fingers. Form around the edges and use your fingers to push the excess dough off using the sharp edges.
Place the tart pan in the freezer for 15 minutes. While the crust is in the freezer, preheat the oven to 375°F. After 15 minutes, remove the crust from the freezer and pierce it all over with a fork to ensure the crust doesn't bubble while cooking.
Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the crust (about 2-3 inches overhang all around). Fill the bottom with pie weights or something heavy. I do not have pie weights so I used some beans that had been in my pantry forever (do not eat after using them as weights).
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights and bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes. Place the tart pan with the crust on a wire rack to cool.

Pastry Cream

Place the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan and whisk together. Add the milk and the egg yolks into another bowl and whisk together and then add to the saucepan.
Turn on the heat to medium and add the butter to the saucepan. Continue cooking and whisking until the mixture comes to a boil. This happens very quickly and turns into a thick cream.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Place the pastry cream in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
Pour cold whipping cream into a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until you get stiff peaks, about 4-5 minutes. Once the pastry cream has cooled, whisk it one more time to get the mixture nice and creamy, and then fold the whipped cream in with a spatula.
Add the pastry cream to the tart shell, leaving about ¼" of space to the top of the crust edge.
Slice the remaining cherries and place them on top of pastry cream until the entire surface is covered.
Carefully spoon the chilled cherry syrup on top of the sliced cherries. Be careful not to overfill and create a spill over the edge.
Place the tart in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes so everything is fully chilled and set. Enjoy!

Notes

Store any leftover cherry tart covered in the fridge for 1-2 days.
I have also used a little maraschino liqueur syrup from my recipe for Homemade Luxardo Cherries for an extra pizzazz but the regular cherry syrup from the recipe above works perfectly, especially if you are serving to kids!
Arrange Cherries Creatively: When placing the cherries on the tart, consider arranging them in a pattern or concentric circles to create an appealing and eye-catching presentation
Serve Chilled: For the best taste and texture, serve the pastry cream tart with cherries chilled. Refrigerate the assembled tart for at least an hour before serving
Garnish with Fresh Mint: Before serving, consider adding a few fresh mint leaves as a garnish. The bright green color and refreshing flavor of the mint complement the cherries and pastry cream beautifully
This recipe makes quite a bit of syrup, but don't worry, there are so many options on how to use it including adding it to cocktails, drizzling over ice cream, or adding a punch to waffles or pancakes.

Nutrition