It's Cherry Season - A Tart Recipe

[Penni]

After I posted yesterday's Happy Birthday America Tart, I had a request for a cherry tart, since fresh cherries season is upon us.  I made the following Cherry Tart during our Resolve to Evolve Health Initiative last year, and here is the recipe....ENJOY! 

Cherry Tart
12 servings

For the crust:
1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
1 cup pitted dates
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch sea salt

For the cherry filling:
4 cups fresh cherries, thoroughly rinsed & pitted
1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted & soaked for 20 minutes
1 tablespoons coconut oil, warmed to soften
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or seeds scraped from 1" of vanilla bean

Line the sides of a tart pan (or smaller individual tart pans) with plastic wrap, which will allow you to more easily remove the finished tart. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the almonds and cashews until fine crumbs. Add dates, almond extract, and sea salt, and process again. The mixture will look sandy, but should hold together when pressed between two fingers. If it doesn’t, continue processing, or add water 1 teaspoon at a time, not allowing the crust to become too sticky or oily. Press dough into the prepared tart pan in an even layer using your fingers, the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Halve all cherries. Transfer 2 cups cherries into a mixing bowl. In a blender, combine 2 cups cherries, the soaked dates, lemon juice, coconut oil and vanilla extract or seeds. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Pour the cherry filling into the refrigerated crust, arranging the remaining cherries to cover the tart, preferably cut-side down. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours. To serve, gently lift the tart pan from its sides using the plastic wrap, cut into portions and plate.

Chef's Note - after having worked with Irish Moss Paste, I'd recommend adding 3 tablespoons of this to the cherry filling to act as a binder to help the filling have more of a gelatinous consistency.

[reikifeet]

THANKS for the coconut butter suggestion.  I never know what to thicken with.  Just tried it, and it tastes GREAT! (of course, LOL)  If my kids'll eat it instead of store junk, i'm not worried about the fat for now.

Penni said:

Irish Moss paste is ideal, but The Raw Chef, Russell James, also suggests the psyllium replacement. A person could also use coconut butter, but my goal was a reduction of fat when creating this recipe. If you don't like the psyllium - don't use it!!

Alessandra said:

psyllium husk powder would make it icky in my opinion.  I tried to use it once (just tested a bit to see as I didn't want to ruin the whole thing if I didn't like it) and I didn't like it.  The texture/consistency just isn't appealing or right for a dessert. 

[Vanessa Machelle Helm]

Yum! This looks and sounds delicious! It make me want to indulge in the healthiest way Possible without any food additives or perservative!

Penni, you are a good cook! I need all your recipes so I can cook those meals myself!