Delicious Sour Cherry Tarts

I have wanted to make a sour cherry pie for about five years, ever since I tried one for the first time.  Do you have memories of delicious meals?  I do.  It is like music, you hear a song and it brings back memories of where you were, what you were wearing, and who you were with.  For me, it is the same with food.  I had the most delicious taste of a sour cherry pie and I will never forget it.  It was in the office and Casey Barber, Good.Food.Stories., brought in a sliver of the pie she had made.  I was not interested in trying it, I am not a fruit dessert lover, but I knew that what ever Casey made was heaven and I had to try it. Lets just say that I have been searching the Farmers Market for sour cherries ever since…

The good news is that Casey shared her recipe with me and I am going to share it with you (I made it into individual tarts).   Run do not walk, to your local market because sour cherries are in season now and you will miss them if you wait too long. Be sure to have the right equipment: Cherry Pitter and  Tart pans.

Print Recipe

Sour Cherry Tarts

You can use any fruit for this recipe

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Cherries, Crumble, Individual, Sour Cherry, Tart

Author: adapted from Culinary Colorado and additional guidance from Good.Food.Stories

Ingredients

Tart Pastry

• 1 cup 4 ¼ oz. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon cold white vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons ice-cold water taken from a bowl of water with ice cubes floating in it

Filling

• 1/2 cup 3 1/2 oz. granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 3 cups approximately 1 pound pitted sour cherries
• **filling enough for 6 individual tarts

Topping

• 1/2 cup 2 1/8 oz. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Instructions

• Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt for a few seconds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade until well incorporated. Add the butter and pulse in 3-second on/off increments about 5 or 6 times until the flour is moist with pea-size chunks of butter dispersed throughout.
• Turn the food processor on and drizzle the vinegar and water through the feed tube until the dough just comes together in chunks. (You may not need the full 3 tablespoons water; start with 2 and see how it looks.)
• Turn the dough out into a large bowl and pat into a disc, then wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
• Cooks Notes from Good.Food.Stories: Need more visual guidance? Pie Crust tutorial Or if you fear the rolling pin altogether, this tart would also be great with my No-Roll Tart Dough
• After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 425˚F.
• Roll the dough out into a disc approximately 10-11 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Place it over a 9.5 inch tart pan
• or Create 4 even sized disks from the chilled dough and roll out each disk to a ¼ inch thick round and place over 5 inch tart pan (s)
• * I like to roll between sheets of Saran Wrap so it is easier to turn over into tart pan
• gently press dough onto the bottom and sides. Slice off overhanging dough and fold it in on itself to make edge of the tart pan; the dough will shrink as it cooks, so this is extra crust insurance. Place the tart pan(s) on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, kosher salt t,, sour cream and egg until completely blended. Fold the sour cherries into the liquid.
• Remove the tarts from the oven when they are golden brown.
• Scoop the filling into the prepared tart crust and spread evenly. Make sure the cherries are evenly spaced and fill the tart pan in one layer.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F and bake for 30 minutes more.
• While the tart bakes for 30 minutes, whisk the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and kosher salt together with a fork in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the sugar with a pastry blender or your fingers, rubbing together until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture resembles wet sand.
• Sprinkle the topping evenly over the tart(s) and bake for 15-20 minutes more until the topping is bubbly and golden brown.
• Remove the tart(s) from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature before serving.

Notes

Makes (1) 9.5 inch tart or (4) 5 Inch Tarts

Prep Time: 30 minutes plus 1 hour chilling time for the dough
Cook Time: 1 hour