Cottage Cherry Tarts Recipes

GRANDMA MONETTE'S CHERRY JAM TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make the filling: Combine the cherry preserves and lemon juice in a bowl, stirring to break up any clumps.
• Make the crust: Butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed. Add the whole egg, then the vanilla. Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, lemon zest, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in up to 1 tablespoon water until the dough just comes together. Wrap two-thirds of the dough in plastic wrap, then wrap the remaining one-third in plastic wrap. Refrigerate both for 30 minutes.
• Put the larger piece of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll it out into an 11-inch round. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and invert the dough into the prepared tart pan; peel off the other sheet of parchment paper and trim the excess dough. Spread the jam evenly on the crust. Roll out the remaining dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut it into 1/2- to 1-inch-wide strips (10 to 14 strips). Arrange the strips in a lattice pattern on top of the filling. Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush on the lattice and edge of the crust. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Photography by Steve Giralt

COTTAGE CHERRY TARTS

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350°F Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with pastry blender. Cut in cottage cheese and vanilla until a firm dough is formed.
• SPRINKLE counter with powdered sugar. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch squares. Fill with 1/2 teaspoon preserves. Overlap opposite corners; seal tightly. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• BAKE 14 to 16 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Arrange on serving platter; sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

COTTAGE CHEESECAKE WITH SOUR CHERRY TOPPING

Steps:

• Mix the crust ingredients together. Press into a greased 8"x8" pan and bake at 350* for 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile blend the cheesecake ingredients together until completely smooth. (No need to activate the gelatin first. I use an immersion blender.)
• Pour the cheesecake mixture over the hot crust when it comes out of the oven and return the cheesecake to the oven at 350* for 40 minutes. The cheesecake will still be very jiggly but will get a little darker around the edges (not brown). Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely, then refrigerate to chill completely before cutting and serving. The cheesecake will set up in the refrigerator.
• To make the sour cherry topping, whisk the first four ingredients together in a small saucepan, adding the xanthan gum slowly while whisking so it doesn't clump. (See note below about what to do if you don't have tart cherries canned in water.) Add the cherries after whisking so they don't fall apart. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring occasionally, then let cool and refrigerate to thicken.
• When both the cheesecake and cherry topping are cold, serve them together. I recommend keeping the cheesecake and topping separate until serving, not spreading the cherry topping onto the cheesecake and storing it in the refrigerator like that.

CHERRY TART

Steps:

• To make pastry:.
• Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
• Add the butter and mix together with a fork or fingers till the texture is crumbly.
• In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks with the lemon juice.
• Stir the yolk mixture and water into crumbly flour.
• Use your hands to form the dough into a ball.
• Press the dough into the bottom only of two 9-inch pie pans or two 9-inch springform pans to about a 3/8 inch thickness.
• Refrigerate the crusts for about 15 minutes.
• For the topping:.
• In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except cherries and mix well.
• Fold in cherries.
• Spread mixture to about 1/2 inch thickness on top of chilled crust, leaving a 1/4 inch margin uncovered at edge.
• Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 350 and bake for about another 40-45 minutes.
• Cool and slice as desired for serving.