Merry Cherry Christmas Tart

Have a ‘Merry Cherry’ Christmas with Jersey Dairy’s Christmas tart! 

Ingredients for the pastry:

• 200g plain flour 
• 100g unsalted Jersey butter, diced 
• 1 tbsp caster sugar 
• 1 egg, beaten  

Ingredients for the filling:

• 140g Jersey butter, melted
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 140g ground almonds
• 1 egg, 1 egg yolk 
• 2 tbsp of Armagnac
• 500g cherries, stones removed 
• 2 tbsp cherry conserve 
• Jersey Dairy Crème Fraîche, to serve

Method:

• Making the pastry – Mix the flour and Jersey butter. Add the sugar, followed by the beaten egg and a couple of tbsp of water to form the dough.
• Shape the dough into a disc shape, wrap in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. 
• Making the filling – Place the sugar, ground almonds, Jersey butter, egg and egg yolk in a bowl and mix to make a creamy paste. 
• Stir in the Armagnac and chill for 25 minutes. 
• Heat oven to 190c. 
• Roll the pastry out onto a floured surface and line it in a loose bottomed tart tin. 
• Fill with lightly greased foil and baking beans and bake for 20-25 minutes, removing the foil after 15 minutes, until golden. 
• Spread the almond paste onto the base of the pastry and bake for 25 minutes until golden and crisp.
• When the tart comes out of the oven, arrange the cherries on top in a single layer.
• Heat the cherry conserve with 1 tbsp water until smooth, then brush over the cherries.
• Leave to cool before removing from the tin. 
• Cut into wedges to serve, adding a spoonful of Jersey Dairy Crème Fraîche to serve. Or pair with some Jersey milk!