Cherry Mascarpone Cheese Tart

I need an oblong shaped tart pan. As simple as that. I made do with my round tart pan with removable bottom but the rectangular shaped pan would have been a nicer presentation....so thinks I. (Insert picture of Valli with fingers and toes crossed when she used a round pan instead). As it turned out I just baked the round tart for the maximum amount of time in the recipe and it turned out fine.

It is cherry season here in the Okanagan...although there are slim and expensive pickings due to a cold snap in the Spring when the trees were blooming. It will be the same for the doomed apricots as well. My daughter and I made a trip to Urban Harvest and I picked up some cherries (priced like gold but certainly worth the price) from local growers. I had some mascarpone left in the fridge and with a simple Google search came up with this recipe from Food & Wine Magazine from chef Spencer Budros.

This is a dessert for adult tastes therefore my daughter 'Lil Burnt Toast and I had it all to ourselves on our mother/daughter movie night. So if you enjoy desserts that are not overly sweet...this one is just for you!!

What I loved about it was that you baked the crust and then blitzed it in the food processor eliminating the need to have a perfect tart crust. This crust uses cornmeal which gave it an unusual but delicious texture.

**Cherry-Mascarpone Cheese Tart**

from Spencer Budros, pastry chef and co-owner of Pistachio, a shop in Columbus, Ohio.

CRUST

6 T unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
Vegetable oil spray

FILLING

2 T unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups mascarpone cheese
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 T heavy cream

CHERRIES

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup black Muscat wine (I'm afraid I had no Muscat so substituted Port for this)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pound cherries—stemmed, pitted and halved
directions

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MAKE THE CRUST: Preheat the oven to 350°. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat in the flour, cornmeal and salt and until a dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball and transfer to a large nonstick baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and roll it out to a 9-inch square, a scant 1/4 inch thick. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Immediately transfer the dough to a food processor and pulse until fine. Lower the oven temperature to 300°.

Line a 13 3/4-by-4-inch, straight-sided rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom with foil. Spray the foil with vegetable spray. Press a 1/2-inch layer of the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the side of the pan. Refrigerate until firm, 20 minutes.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE FILLING: In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add half of the mascarpone cheese and beat at low speed until combined. Add the remaining mascarpone cheese, the egg, vanilla, lemon zest and cream and beat just until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the surface.

Set the tart pan on a sturdy baking sheet. Position racks in the bottom and center of the oven. On the bottom rack, place a roasting pan filled with 1 inch of water. Place the tart on the center rack and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is puffed and set. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Lift the tart from the pan and remove the foil. Transfer to a platter.

PREPARE THE CHERRIES: In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, Muscat and lemon juice to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer until syrupy, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a bowl and add the cherries. Let stand for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to the tart and serve.

Serves 8