Bill Granger's Rustic Cherry Tart....

We have a new cooking channel here called the Cooking Channel of all things. It is a breath of fresh air after being barraged with repeats of the same cooking shows over and over on the Food Network. We now have shows by Australian chef and cookbook author,  Bill Granger. I  like Bill Granger and his recipes very much. He has an easygoing style which I find very inviting. This is  a lovely recipe. A simple and  quick dessert to throw together with items you have on hand. I am sure this would also be delicious with other fruits or berries besides cherries, sliced pear come to mind. I saw Bill prepare this on his show and he just made the frangipane by hand. I did the same. It was almost not worth getting the food processor dirty. I had some almond meal in the freezer and I used that. I also had some gorgeous cherries. I did not chill the frangipane before spreading it on the puff pastry, I just spread it immediately. I thought it would be too difficult to spread the cold frangipane. Next time I will spread the frangipane on the pastry and put the whole thing in the fridge before baking to firm it all up. I suggest using an all butter frozen puff pastry if you can get it. I had some Pepperidge Farm puff pastry in the freezer that I needed to use and I am not as fond of it as I am the Du Four brand or any other all butter brand you can find. If that is all you can get it is just fine.

 

Rustic Cherry Tart

Ingredients

• Frangipane
• 2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, chopped
• 1/3 cup caster sugar (superfine)
• 3/4 cup ground almonds
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cherry Tart
• 1 sheet puff pastry or 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg yolk
• 10 1/2 ounces cherries, pitted and halved
• Sugar, for sprinkling
• Whipped cream, for garnish, optional

Directions:

For the frangipane: Pulse together the butter, sugar, ground almonds, yolks, and vanilla extract in a food processor. Refrigerate the mixture until chilled.

For the tart: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.

Slide a baking tray in the oven to heat. Lay the puff pastry sheet onto a separate baking tray, lined with parchment. Trim off the edges of the pastry, this will make the edges rise more easily when baking. Using the point of a sharp knife, score a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the puff pastry, being careful not to cut right through the sheet. Prick the entire surface, with a fork and brush with the egg yolk. Within the scored border, spread the prepared frangipane evenly over the pastry. Place the cherries, cut side up, in a single layer over the frangipane. Carefully, place the tart on the hot tray, and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the tart from the oven, and sprinkle with an even layer of sugar, and bake until its sides are golden and puffed, about another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the tart with some whipped cream, if desired.

This was delicious...I can not wait to make some more of Bill's recipes very soon...

On a very sad note...My dear sweet Aunt Sadie passed away last week at the age of 99. This picture is at her 99th birthday dinner just a few weeks ago in June.  We went to her favorite Chinese restaurant where she ate seafood stuffed tofu balls and chicken with pea leaf and many things most 99 year old people would not be adventurous enough to eat.. She was a very special person in my life and she will be greatly missed each and every day. She was lucky to have lived a long and healthy life. She took no medication at all and loved to say how she still had all of her marbles, and she certainly did, right up to the very end. She loved me unconditionally from the day I was born until the day she died. She loved to eat whatever I cooked or baked and adored spending holidays here with my family. Her eyes lit up each and every time she saw me...and so did mine when I saw her. She was more than just an Aunt...she was my special someone.

She was a beautiful woman, she loved being admired...she is pictured above in 1928 with all of her brothers except my father who was to be born later on the same year. She lived much longer than all of her younger brothers. She was remarkable.
                                              Rest in Peace Bubbee...I love you