I have been on a tart making binge lately, and had to include one of my favorite fruits--cherries. Like other fruits, cherries are super healthful. In fact, according to the book Eat to Beat Disease by William Li , they can help to reduce the risk of esophageal cancer by 66%. Among other benefits, studies have shown that cherries can reduce inflammation as well as uric acid levels--possibly helping with gout and arthritis (NutritionFacts.Org). Thankfully, it doesn't seem to affect the nutritional benefits if frozen cherries are used, which is good because that's what I used for this tart. You can prepare the tart crust dough ahead of time by rolling it out into the tart pan and storing it in the freezer until you are ready to bake your tart. (I have kept mine in the freezer for 4 days and it would probably last longer.) You do not need to thaw the crust before baking; it can go directly from freezer to oven.
Makes an 8 or 9 inch tart
Ingredients:
1 sweet tart crust, pre-baked 10 min (scroll down for recipe)
2 10 oz bags dark sweet cherries
2 to 4 dates depending on your sweet preferences (I use 2 dates)
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
Rind of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp salt
1-2 tsp spices: I used 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp cardamon, 1/4 tsp 5 spice, and dash of cinnamon sprinkled on top
About 1/4 cup almond slices for top
1-2 tsp coconut or date sugar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pre bake tart crust for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Take crust out and set on a cooling rack. (Pre-baking is necessary for this tart.)
Turn oven up to 400 degrees after pre-baking.
Put one bag of frozen cherries in Cuisinart with the flour, dates, spices, extracts, lemon juice, and 1 tsp lemon rind.
Pulse to chop so that the filling is coarsely chopped (you want some small pieces of cherries to remain but don't puree it totally).
Adjust seasoning to taste.
Pour this mixture into the pre-baked tart crust.
Take most of the second bag of frozen cherries and cut them in half on a cutting board. (Optional step: Toss the cut frozen cherries with 1 scant tsp of flour or arrowroot powder to ensure proper gelling. I did not use the extra flour and had no problem, but suggest doing so just to be safe.)
Arrange the halved cherries on top of the filling.
Sprinkle with sliced almonds, 1/2-1 tsp lemon rind, 1-2 tsp coconut sugar, and a sprinkle of cinnamon or chai spice.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees.
Cool on pie rack for at least 20 minutes or until filling is firm enough to cut.
Sweet Tart Crust
1 1/4 cup spelt flour
1 tsp ground chia seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 cup cashew butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
2-3 tbsp lite coconut milk (or other high fat plant milk)
Optional seasonings for the crust: touch of lemon rind, hint of nutmeg and/or cinnamon (I recommend a hint of nutmeg!)
To make the crust, mix all dry ingredients together (flour, chia, salt, soda, vanilla powder and any other optional seasonings) then add the cashew butter and maple syrup.
Stir briefly, then use your fingers to mix the cashew butter mixture into the dry ingredients until it is well incorporated, like pea crumbles. (This will take a couple of minutes.)
Add 2 tbsp lite coconut milk and stir to form a ball. If it looks like the mixture is too dry to form into a ball, add the third tbsp of coconut milk.
Once you have made a ball, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Roll the pie crust out between two pieces of wax paper.
Place the dough in an 8, 9, or 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. You may need to gently press the dough into place if it breaks apart. Make sure the dough around the rim is thick enough so that it won't easily break when you remove the crust from the tart pan.
Optional but recommended: Put the crust in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before filling and baking.
Bake according to pie recipe or preface for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
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