Ingredients (serves 2)
1 sheet frozen shortcrust pastry*(store bought) or make your own
Basic sweet shortcrust pastry
1 cup plain flour, levelled
60g cold butter, chopped
2 tablespoons water
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten
Filling
30g butter
2 tablespoons caster sugar + extra for topping
½ cup almond meal
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 egg
¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
¼ cup flaked almonds
6 fresh or canned cherries (remove seeds if fresh)
1 punnet fresh raspberries
Icing sugar for dusting
Double cream
Mint
Method
- For the pastry: Place flour on a flat surface and make a well in the centre. Rub butter into the flour using your fingers until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add water, salt, sugar and egg yolk and mix into a dough using your fingers. Knead lightly by flattening the dough twice. Check for smoothness, knead again if necessary. Press flat and wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Or you can freeze the pastry until ready to use at a later date. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 5 mm thick ready for the recipe.
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350°F). Line 2 x 10cm fluted loose base tart tins with a square piece of pastry, trim around edges and chill for 1 hour. Prick bases with a fork and line with baking paper, fill with baking beads or rice. Blind bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, remove baking beads and bake for further 3-4 minutes or until the base is dry. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until creamy, add almond meal, plain flour, and egg and mix until combined. Place filling into the pastry cases, (don’t overfill them, you may have some left over) and smooth tops with a spoon. Place nine raspberries around the edge and three cherries in the middle of each one. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over each tart and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes remove from the oven and sprinkle over almonds, then bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and when slightly cooler carefully remove tart tins and place onto a cooling rack before serving.
To Serve
Place tarts on the side of each plate. Arrange three halved raspberries on the side, garnish with a sprig of mint and a quenelle (or dollop) of double cream on the side and serve.
Chef's Notes
*If you are short on time you can use the store bought shortcrust pastry for this recipe.
