A delicious almond crust with a creamy filling and delicious cherries on top. The perfect solution for dessert for a dinner party or even just a treat when you are wanting something just a little sweet.
Last summer when I was home visiting my parents, my mom gave me a couple of jars of Morello cherries from Trader Joes. While I appreciated the kindness, I wasn’t really sure what to do with them. I love cherry pie, cherry cobbler, and cherry crisp, but those are so much better with sour cherries to balance out the sweetness. I also love sweet cherries, but Morello cherries are a little more acidic than regular Bing cherries or other sweet cherries.
So, these jars have been sitting on my pantry shelf for a about 8 months now, and I finally decided to figure out something to do with them. I did a little searching on the internet, and I came across a recipe for this tart. It’s simple enough, especially when using a food processor for the crust. The balance of the mascarpone with the almond crust is just right. Using the cherries on top brings everything together in a way that is just right. Plus, isn’t a ton of sugar, which makes this a good dessert when your looking for something that isn’t too sweet.
*Adapted from kitchenconfidante.com
Crust
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature,
1 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Grease tart pan with butter. I just used the wrapper from the butter to grease the pan. Set pan aside while making crust.
Add almonds and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until fine.
Add butter and pulse until combined with the almond mixture and is crumbly. Add remaining sugar, flour, salt and almond extract. Pulse until it comes together.
Press the dough into the tart pan, making sure to press into sides as well. Put crust in fridge and chill for 30 minutes or longer.
Remove crust from fridge and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
Filling
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon
1 cup Morello cherries, drained
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Beat the mascarpone with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and heavy cream. In a medium bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with an electric mixer. Beat in the sugar and heavy cream. Add extracts. Beat until smooth. Place filling in refrigerator and let chill about 25 minutes.
Spread filling in cooled crust. Sprinkle almonds around the edges and top with cherries. Let it chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Spread the chilled filling in the cooled tart crust. Sprinkle almonds around the edge. Sprinkle cherries in the middle. Keep refrigerated if not eating right away.
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