Black Cherry Almond Tart with Nutmeg Whipped Cream

I must confess, sometimes I am a bit resentful that we live in a tiny apartment with no yard, not enough privacy, and very little space.  It hits me the most when I am desperately trying to shove all the pots into the kitchen cupboards.  It's bad, I turn into a crazy person.

I have become completely enthralled with an entertaining-cooking youtube channel called Entertaining With Beth.  "She", as Hillary and I refer to her, is incredible.  The quality of video is comparable to a show you would find on the Food Network. On her channel she not only shows you how to make her dishes, but how to entertain, including: how to plate the food so it looks beautiful, how to set up decorative table decor, when to serve what, and event timing.  It is wonderful.  It makes me want to throw sophisticated food parties with sophisticated people.  Unfortunately our tiny apartment throws off the ambiance of it all.

That being said I wouldn't change it, our life is a journey, and this apartment is part of it.  Someday we will have a home perfect for hosting dinner parties and holiday celebrations, but for now we have what we have, and I actually like it that way.  It just means I can practice making the food until we can fit more than 4 people comfortably in our house.

I basically got the recipe for my tart from Beth.  I changed the recipe for her Fig Almond Tart to be more my style, but used roughly the same method.  I changed out the figs for black cherries, and doctored up the whipped cream using nutmeg. Oh my it turned out delicious!

 Black Cherry Almond Tart with Nutmeg Whipped Cream

Serves 8

For Crust:
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp ice water
1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
4 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed

For Filling:
7 ounces almond paste
¼ c sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 stick salted butter, room temp
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1/3 cup flour
1/2 Cup pitted black cherries,
¼ sliced almonds

For whipped cream:
3 tbsp powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
2 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp nutmeg

 

Method: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl of a food processor combine flour, salt and sugar and pulse until combined.  Add butter cubes a few at a time, pulsing quickly until dough resembles a coarse meal. Beat egg together with water. Add egg mixture, slowly, pulsing just until dough comes together.  Turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a ball and then pat down into a disk.  Wrap disk in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or pop in the freezer for 10)

Meanwhile, beat together almond paste, sugar and salt in a mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, then almond extract, scraping down the bowl. Add flour and mix on low until just combined.

Roll out dough onto a floured surface until about ¼ inch.  Transfer to a removable bottom, non-stick tart shell and fit into pan.  It’s okay if it falls apart, just press it into pan, making sure the dough feels evenly distributed.  Trim top edge of dough so that it is flush with the pan’s rim.  This will give you a nice finished edge once the tart is baked. Place tart in the freezer for 10 mins to firm up before adding filling.
Pour filling into pan.

Pit cherries and arrange in a circle around tart, as well as place a few in the middle. Top with sliced almonds.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45mins just until browned and a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.  Remove tart from tin and dust with powdered sugar before serving.  Serve with homemade whipped cream. (Whip ingredients together until soft peaks form.)

Bon Appetit