Ingredients
For Artusi’s short pastry:
125 gr cold butter - 1 stick
250 gr flour - 2 cups
50 gr caster sugar - just under 1/2 cup
lemon zest
1 large beaten egg
For the cherry compote:
500 gr dark cherries - about 4 cups
some water
Preparation
To make the pastry, chop the cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour and sugar. You can do this quickly in a food processor, otherwise, with your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until you get a crumbly mixture and there are no more visible pieces of butter. Mix in the lemon zest and beaten egg until the pastry comes together to form a smooth, elastic ball. Let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, even the day before. In the meantime, prepare the cherry compote by pitting the fresh cherries and placing in a pot with a little water (about an inch or so deep). Heat gently and allow to simmer until the cherries are soft and have made a ‘juice’ - you want it jammy not watery, but you will want to watch the pot carefully so as not to reduce this juice too much and lose it or burn it! Set aside to cool. After resting, roll out about ¾ of the pastry and with a round cookie cutter or egg ring, cut out circles to fit into a muffin tray. Roll out the rest of the pastry to make strips, about 1cm wide to create a lattice for the top of your tarts. Fill the tarts with the cherry compote and place your lattice strips over the top. If you want to be fancy, brush some egg yolk over the lattice for some shine. Bake at 180ºC for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
