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cherry jam tart

Cherry Jam Tart

Leigh Belanger and Rebecca Haley-Park
In the Basque region, pairing cherries and sheep’s milk cheese is a long-standing tradition, with the cherries bringing out the fruitiness in the curds. Here, we pair the two in a simple tart that highlights both fruit and cheese. You’ll need a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom for this recipe.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
  • 4 ounces hard sheep’s milk cheese grated
  • ⅔ cup ice water
  • 2 cups cherry preserves
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar for topping

Instructions
 

  • To the bowl of a food processor, add flour and butter and pulse until no pieces larger than a pea remain. Add cheese and pulse twice more to combine. Add ½ the ice water and pulse 3 times. Add remaining water and pulse 3 times more. Dough should form large clumps and no dry flour should remain. If dough is dry, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough holds together.
  • Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide; 1 lump of dough should be twice the size of the other. Flatten both pieces into 1-inch-thick disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  • Heat oven to 375°F. Remove larger dough piece from the refrigerator and place between 2 pieces of floured parchment paper. Roll dough into a 12-inch round and press into a 9-inch tart pan. Press dough up the sides of the pan, trim the overhang, and discard trimmed dough.
  • Center tart pan on a baking sheet, prick dough surface all over with a fork, and cover dough with foil. Fill with dried beans or rice (or use pie weights), and place in oven. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until crust just begins to brown. Remove from oven and remove foil and weights. Return crust to the oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until golden brown.
  • Cool crust for 10 minutes, then spread jam evenly over crust. Remove smaller dough disk from refrigerator, roll out on a floured surface, and use a small cookie cutter to create enough decorative shapes to almost completely cover tart surface. Freeze remaining dough for later use.
  • Scatter dough shapes evenly over the surface of the jam and sprinkle with sugar. Bake tart until dough shapes are golden-brown and jam is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature (at least 2 hours) before serving. Remove outer tart ring before serving.

Notes

Try this recipe with Fundador Curado from Spain, a winner in 2016's World Championship Cheese Contest.