Cherry and Mascarpone Tart
I go to a potluck every month, hosted by someone I went to graduate school with. The food is always delicious and it’s just a nice way to meet new people in the area. It’s always tons of fun! Last night I brought over some homemade herb butter with two loaves of bread Jason picked up at the Ferry Building (one gluten free rye and one gluten-full levain bread). I also brought a cherry and mascarpone tart for dessert. Both went over very well and were big hits. This tart can totally be made with tons of different fruit toppings — I’ve made it with mixed berries before and it was just as good!
Cherry and Mascarpone Tart
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
5 teaspoons ice cold water
1 8-oz package of mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups cherries, pitting and cut in half
2 Tablespoons apricot jam
1 Tablespoon maraschino liquor
1 teaspoon sugar
1. Combine both flours, salt, sugar in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal. Add almond extract to four tablespoons of ice water then add this mixture, one tablespoon at a time to the food processor. Only add enough until the dough begins to clump together. Remove the dough and form a flattened ball onto a dish then cover it with plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for at least one hour.
2. Remove dough and spread out on the bottom of a tart pan. Evenly distributing across the bottom and push the dough up at least a 1/4-inch up the side of the pan. Let the pan sit in the freezer for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take tart pan out of the freezer and poke a few holes in the crust with a fork. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and remove pie weights. Put back in oven for 10 minutes. Bake until lightly golden. Remove and let cool completely.
4. In a stand mixer, beat together mascarpone, cream, sugar at high speed until peaks form. Scoop mixture onto the tart crust and spread across so it is level.
5. In a small saucepan, combine the jam, liquor, and sugar. Heat until it’s reduced to about 1 1/2 Tablespoons. Careful not to burn the sugar!
6. Pour the sauce over the cherries and mix. Let them cool then place them over the tart.
