Cherry Tart à l’Alsacienne

It’s Cherry Season! Fresh cherries, a creamy vanilla custard filling, and a buttery-flaky crust come together quickly and the flavour is heavenly!

Alsatian Cherry Tart is one of the French dessert recipes from the Alsace region of France. It is absolutely heavenly!

Cherries are a very healthy seasonal fruit being low in calories, full of nutrients such as vitamins A and C and antioxidants.

The wide variety of cherries come from differences in taste - sweet or sour, and different colors (different tones of red).

Sweet cherries are the most popular variety used in baking. If they are in season where you live, they will be sweet and fresh.

How to make an easy and delicious cherry tart!

In this recipe, I've chosen a homemade pie crust, but if you're pressed for time, grab one at your local grocery. The flaky texture and flavor of homemade pie dough are well worth the hassle.

Ingredients

Serves 6

For the Crust

250g all purpose flour
pinch of salt
50g caster sugar
125g unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
70 ml cold water

For the Filling

800g fresh cherries, pitted
200 ml whipping cream (heavy cream)
50g sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp kirsch or substitute or vanilla extract

Method

Make the Crust

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Using your both hands, mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the cold water. Add it to the flour mixture, and bring together into a ball.

3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. The dough should not be sticky, and be careful not to over-work it. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pre-bake the Crust

4. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fun (250°F/225°F).

5. On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry dough and carefully place the dough into a tart pan. With a fork, poke little holes in the bottom of the dough. Pre-bake the crust for 12-15 minutes, until light-colored.