Cherry and Almond Tart

La storia di questo piatto

Born from the sun-scorched soul of Extremadura, where ancient almond groves whisper to wild cherry trees along the banks of the Tajo, this tart carries the proud silence of a land that gives everything under a merciless sky. It is the taste of a region that does not perform beauty — it simply lives it, season after season, in dark fruit and pale kernel.

Ingredienti

• 250 g All-purpose flour
• 125 g Cold butter
• 5 g Fine salt
• 50 g Caster sugar
• 1 piece Whole egg
• 150 g Blanched almonds
• 500 g Fresh cherries
• 60 g Brown sugar
• 30 ml Honey
• 15 ml Lemon juice
• 50 g Whole shelled almonds
• 20 g Icing sugar

Preparazione

1. Start by mixing flour, salt, and granulated sugar together in a bowl with a spoon, which helps distribute them evenly. Add the cold butter cut into small pieces and work it quickly with just the tips of your fingers, rubbing it as if you're crumbling it: the heat from your hands would melt the butter and make the dough heavy and dense. Stop when the mixture looks like wet sand, with no visible pieces of butter remaining.
2. Crack the egg into the center of the sandy mixture and bring everything together with your hands, being careful not to knead it for too long: you only need enough time to form a smooth, compact ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator to rest: the cold firms up the butter and allows the dough to relax, so when you roll it out later it won't shrink back. Leave it undisturbed for half an hour—there's no need to touch it.
3. Carefully pit the cherries, using a hairpin or toothpick to help if you don't have a proper pitting tool. Put the blanched almonds in a non-stick skillet without any oil, over medium heat, and toast them while stirring frequently: they're ready when they start to smell nutty and darken just slightly. Let them cool for a moment, then pulse them roughly in a food processor without reducing them to powder: they should stay somewhat rustic and chunky.
4. Butter the tart pan lightly so the base won't stick when you turn it out after baking. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a floured surface and lay it into the pan, pressing it firmly against the sides and bottom with your fingers. Spread the chopped almonds over the surface: they'll act as a shield, absorbing the juice from the cherries and keeping the base wonderfully dry and crisp.
5. Arrange the cherries side by side across the entire base, leaving no large gaps so that every slice will get its bite of fruit. Sprinkle it all over with brown sugar, then drizzle the honey in a thin stream, and finally add the lemon juice: the lemon brightens the sweetness of the cherries and keeps their flavor vibrant and alive on the palate.
6. Decorate the edge with whole almonds, pressing them down gently so they stay in place as the tart bakes. Put it in an oven that's already well heated to 180°C and let it bake until the surface takes on a beautiful golden color and the aroma of fruit and almonds fills the kitchen: that's the signal that your tart is ready.
7. Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool to room temperature before slicing: the filling will firm up and your slices will come out clean and neat instead of falling apart on the plate. Only at the very end, just before serving, dust it with a light veil of powdered sugar, passing it through a fine sieve: this final touch is what makes every slice look beautiful.