Cherry tart is a delicious dessert which can be made all year round.This divine tart has a sugarless flaky crust filled with coffee glazed fresh cherries and a delicate custard. You can also use store-bought pie crust, but I will show you how to make your own buttery pâte à foncer from just a few ingredients.

The recipe:
www.vespresso.cooking/custard-cherry-tart

Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients and Pit the Cherries

Ingredients:

for the crust:

250g all-purpose flour (refrigerated for 30 minutes) - 8.8 oz
125g cold butter (cut into small pieces) - 4.4 oz
1 cold egg
¼ tsp salt
½ to 1 Tbsp cold water

for the filling:

500g cherries, stones removed - 17.5 oz
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
15g butter - 1 Tbsp
80g Demerara sugar (divided: 30g + 50g) - 2.8 oz (divided: 1 + 1.7 oz)
½ Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp coffee liqueur
1 egg
100ml double cream (3.4 fl oz)

Tools:

a round 26cm (10inch) ceramic tart tray
a rolling pin
cling film
a mixing bowl
a vegetable knife

Abbreviations:

tsp = teaspoon
Tbsp = tablespoon

Step 2: Prepare the Flaky Crust

Prepare the crust. In a food processor add the flour, salt and butter and pulse just until the mixture looks like wet sand and the butter pieces are no larger than peas. Add the beaten egg and pulse for about 10 seconds.

You can also make this step by hand. Rub the butter in the flour using your fingers, but you have to be very fast.

Step 3: Knead the Crust and Refrigerate It

Cover a wooden board with plastic wrap and place the crumbly mixture on the wrap. Knead for about 20 seconds just until you form a ball. Flatten the dough and cover with another plastic wrap. Refrigerate the board (with the dough) for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Roll the Crust

After 30 minutes roll the dough using a rolling pin into a 0.5 - 0.7 cm (1/4 inch) thick disk. The plastic wrap will prevent the dough to stick.

Step 5: Trim the Edges

Lift the dough disk (discarding the cling film) and carefully place it in a tart tin. Use your rolling pin to trim the excess edges.

Use your fingers to pinch the dough until it’s about 5 mm above the edges. This step is necessary because crust will it will shrink while baking.

Step 6: Prick the Bottom of the Crust With a Fork, Refrigerate and Bake

With a fork prick the bottom of the crust. Refrigerate the tart crust for another 30 minutes.

Bake the crust in the preheated oven at 220°C / 425°F (gas mark 7) for 13 minutes or until light golden.

Step 7: Arrange the Cherries and Glaze Them

Sprinkle the baked crust with bread crumbs and arrange the cherries.

Prepare the glaze by mixing 15g of butter with 30g sugar, ½ Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp coffee liqueur in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.

Glaze the cherries with the coffee sauce. Place the tart in the oven and continue to bake it for 15 minutes.

Step 8: Pour the Custard and Bake

Lower the oven temperature at 190°C / 375°F (gas mark 5).

Prepare the custard by mixing 1 egg with 50g of sugar and 100ml of double cream. After 15 minutes (after the second baking interval) pour the custard over the cooked cherries and continue to bake the tart for further 15-20 minutes or until the custard has set.