According to Julia Child, though this one is not her recipe, “a tart made with puff pastry is particularly succulent, buttery, and elegant in the mouth. “ Makes you want to have some, right? The rectangular tart shell is simple to make and the scraps are minimal. In fact there were no scraps.
FREE FORM PUFF PASTRY TART
1/3 of quick puff pastry2 cups pitted cherries
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Lay a sheet of parchment paper on the cutting board.
• Roll out 1/3 of the puff pastry on the parchment into a 16X12 inch rectangle, 1/8 inch thick.
• Cut 1 inch of strip around the rectangle.
• Grasp the ends of the parchment and transfer the pastry rectangle to a baking sheet.
• Paint an inch border of cold water around the rectangle. [Without this step the tart will not hold together when you start slicing it.]
• Then lay the pastry strips all around the edge.
• Press the strips in place, slightly overlapping at the corners.
• Prick the entire surface of the rectangle with a fork
• Cover the shell and chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare the cherry tart filling
• Combine the pitted cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan.
• You do not need to add water; the cherries will react with the sugar and release liquid.
• Cook on very low heat, stirring continuously, but be careful not to crush the fruit.
• When filling is sufficiently thickened, remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and let cool to lukewarm.
• Preheat your oven at 425 F
• Remove the tart shell from the fridge and pour in the filling.
• The rapid puff of the strips will hold in the filling.
• Place the tart in the oven and bake until the dough has a nice golden colour. Serves 4
