about bliss

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

cherry almond tart



[No TWD post this week, y'all. Instead, I offer up a little Martha goodness. But fear not, I'm a loyal Dorie acolyte (even if certain people in my family call me "Martha":)]

I have dreamed of such a tart (Martha calls it a galette, but I'm stuck on tart) these past three summers, ever since I moved back to a land where fresh cherries glisten and beckon during sunny, happy July.

Finally, this year, I committed to making said tart. In my mind, the tart was constructed in a rectangular tart pan, but the recipe calls for a more free form, rustic shape, made of puff pastry rather than a more conventional tart dough.

How positively providential that I had a block of homemade puff pastry stashed in my freezer. With a frisson of pride, I found the pastry and set it out to thaw.



Next, I toasted the almonds, and allowed them to cool while I set about pitting two pounds of cherries. Without a cherry pitter, I needed a little help. My tweeps Nancy and Wendy gave me swell suggestions, and I used one of my fancy chopsticks to pit the fruit.



After washing the crimson cherry juice off of my fingers, I whirled together the frangipane. My mini-prep motor strained and nearly died. Hence, the frangipane was not smooth and silky, but a little rough and rustic. No matter.




I spread the frozen crust with the frangipane and stuck it back in the freezer while the oven heated.



Next, I set about arranging the cherries in an alternating pattern (because i'm neurotic like that). I coated the sides of the tart with egg wash, and sprinkled the whole thing with raw sugar.



Last time I baked my puff pastry, it crisped but didn't puff. I kept checking the oven to see if puffiness prevailed, and...it did!



I removed the tart from the oven and compared my tart to Martha's. Is it totally egotistical and narcissistic that I thought mine looked better? Actually, as G pointed out, the tart had the same puffed and browned pattern as Martha's. Scary.



The tart was too ginormous for any of my containers, so I held the tart on my lap all the way to wine club. We were tasting Petite Sirah, and I thought the lush fruitiness would pair nicely with the earthy flavors of cherries and almonds. I was right. The tart was *good.* And pretty. And summery. And, though the cherries looked a little slumpy the next day, the leftovers were spectacular.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:55 PM

    Your Cherry Tart looks beautiful! I had to google 'frangipane' because I'd never heard of it before and now would love to try it out! I'm in awe of your homemade puff pastry skills! (And I'd be neurotic about placing the cherries just so too!) =)

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  2. I. Want.

    Homemade puff pastry in the freezer is a dream of mine. But if I had some, this is what I would do with it. Except mine wouldn't look like Martha's!

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  3. Anonymous3:13 PM

    Ooh...a cherry tart sounds delicious. YUM.

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  4. That tart was super amazing. That is all!

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  5. Oh wow!! It looks wonderful. Martha can be a great inspiration. hehe. I'm so proud that you make all these sweets. I'm always wanting to...but rarely ever do...

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  6. That looks great to me. Love galattes. Sooooo easy to put together.

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  7. The next fruit tart I make is definitely going to have frangipane in it. I was sorely tempted to put it in Dorie's tart, but I restrained myself. How fortuitous of you to have puff pastry stashed away for this long-awaited tart. And it sounds like it met your expectations? Lovely job.

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  8. This is really beautiful! In my mind, cherry pitting has got to be the hardest job in the world. But this tart makes it look so worth it. It is totally prettier than Martha's. I love cherries, so I really need to try this while the cherry gettin' is good.

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  9. Can't go wrong with cherries!

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  10. I love your combination - beautiful!

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  11. thanks, everyone! i loved this tart! and, i love having the puff pastry handy too:)

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