Sour Cherry Tart Recipe (2024)

By Jacques Pepin

Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes, plus 2 hours' refrigeration
Rating
5(174)
Notes
Read community notes

Gloria Zimmerman picks well-ripened sour cherries from the cherry tree in a friend's yard each summer, pits them and freezes them. Although this tart can be made with sweet cherries, it is better made with sour cherries. The pate brisee recipe is very rich and must be handled with care to make it conform to the tart mold. The unglazed tart should not be refrigerated; it should be served while still lukewarm - difficult to do in a restaurant - with strong coffee.

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Ingredients

Yield:One 11-inch tart

    The Pate Brisee (enough for 1 11-inch Tart)

    • About ¾ cup flour (4 ounces)
    • ½teaspoon sugar
    • teaspoon salt
    • ¾stick (3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
    • 3tablespoons ice-cold water

    The Filling

    • pounds sour cherries, pitted
    • 2tablespoons minute tapioca
    • ¾cup sugar
    • ¼teaspoon almond extract
    • ¼cup almonds ground in a food processor with 1 tablespoon sugar

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    For the pate brisee, place the flour, sugar, salt and butter pieces in owl and crush the butter into the dry ingredients with the tips of your fingers until combined somewhat but with pieces of butter still visible in the mixture. Add the ice water and stir with a fork just until the mixture holds together. Gather it up, pressing it between your hands to flatten it and make it round, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.

  2. Step

    2

    Rub a small amount of flour into a pastry cloth and roll the dough into a very thin circle, about 12½ inches in diameter. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and gently fit it into the bottom and up the sides of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough against the sides of the pan to fill in any holes and make it adhere to the metal. Remove any excess overhanging dough by rolling the rolling pin across the top of the pan. Refrigerate the tart shell for one hour.

  3. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the cherries, tapioca, sugar and almond extract. Sprinkle the ground almond-sugar mixture in the pastry shell and arrange the cherry mixture on top. Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven for one to one-and-a-quarter hours, until the dough is nicely browned. Unmold and serve with strong coffee.

Ratings

5

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174

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Maudie

Forgot to add that I baked it at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
I used two cans of cherries packed in water for a 9 inch tart.

Maudie

I made this with canned sour cherries, a 9 inch tart shell, and no ground almonds. It was very good served warm with bourbon vanilla bean ice cream. I sprinkled some sliced almonds on top instead.

esther

I don't have an owl for step one. And I'm not sure how I would put the pieces in one if I had one. Does anyone have any tips. I'm going to try this recipe and use a bowl instead.

Barry

This astounding recipe is almost pre-historic in its simplicity - the only machine needed is to grind the almonds. And it will draw cheers and awed appreciation from your severest critics. I scant the sugar, as I do with most dessert recipes. I look forward to experimenting with other fruits.

Lisa

I too made this with canned sour cherries. No problems, tasted great. Drain the cherries well first.

Virginia

I made this recipe with frozen sour cherries, except that I didn’t have enough. Therefore I made up the difference with store-bought frozen blueberries. I made sure to thaw and drain both thoroughly. I didn’t have almonds so used hazelnuts. Didn’t have almond extract so used vanilla. Result was a beautiful two-toned tart that was heavenly.

maria

I used sweet cherries but cut the sugar added at that point to 1/3 cup. My family inhaled the result, which was pleasantly sweet-tart.Will definitely make again but may try a few tweaks. I might add a squinch more salt to the crust dough and make in a smaller tart pan so the crust is a little thicker. My crust was browned well before the 75 minutes were up - and my oven is accurate. Also might chop half the cherries - so some are whole and some are more cooked into jamminess.

EH

Made this with in-season farmer's market sour cherries according to recipe with only one deviation, using a food processor for the crust (which worked fine). Cooked it for an hour and five minutes, so that cherries were dark, with a nice sticky jelly forming in places. Completely delicious. I didn't mean to have that second slice, but I don't regret it.

Laurel

This is a stunningly good recipe. Works as is. The dough rolls out really thin but there's enough. And then you get these bits of crust that caramelize with the cherry...Heaven! And definitely serve with strong coffee. Great advice!

joan

An outstanding recipe. Made this with sour cherries from the farmers market. I could not find tapioca but potato starch worked fine as a substitute. I used a smaller springform pan, rolling the crust out on parchment paper. I then transferred the crust, paper and all to the pan, which was very easy. The tart took the full 75 minutes and was delicious with dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Mike B

Crust is very thin - mine leaked.

esther

I don't have an owl for step one. And I'm not sure how I would put the pieces in one if I had one. Does anyone have any tips. I'm going to try this recipe and use a bowl instead.

esther

I notice this recipe is decades old, probably from before every store had almond flour. I think that would make this even easier

Dave

I made it as written and I think it's worth it to blitz the almonds in the food processor. It makes an uneven texture that is nice to eat. Great recipe!

Genie

This was phenomenal. A pasty-chef level outcome, incredible, and I hacked a tart pan out of a springform cake pan. The fruit was sour cherries from the farmer's market. I used vanilla extract and skipped the almonds due to allergies; I sprinkled the bottom of the crust with a scant amount of dark brown sugar. I didn't think a thin crust would need an hour plus to bake, but it did take about the full hour and a quarter in my oven. I'll be making this again soon with other fruit!

Bonnie

Great recipe but try to unmold while it is still warm as my tart was stuck to the side, and I almost took off 1/4 of it. It baked in 50 minutes, so make sure to check it every 15 minutes or so, and I also used 1 cup of flour and entire stick of butter to make the crust. A big hit at our dinner party!

Martha L.

Oh. This was fantastic. I agree with Barry about the astounding simplicity of this recipe. I had frozen sour cherries on hand, drained them well and then made the recipe as directed. I was afraid I'd overworked my dough since I had to add more water, but it was totally fine. A great recipe!

Mark

This recipe did not work well for me. Took tart out of the 400 degree oven ahead of the prescribed 75 minutes as the cherries began burning early on. Using a friend’s new oven; maybe needs calibrating?

jordy

For an 11-inch tart pan, I found this needed a full cup of flour and 4 oz. butter. This crust held 1.5 lbs. frozen, pitted cherries.Use finely ground tapioca instead of the larger granules.I ground 1/4 c. of almonds with 3 T. almond paste (no additional sugar) for the crust topping.

jordy

Had a problem with undissolved tapioca, a mild textural nuisance. Next time I will macerate the cherries in sugar and then cook the tapioca in the expressed juice and add back into the cherries before baking. Also, my tart was done after an hour.

maria

I used sweet cherries but cut the sugar added at that point to 1/3 cup. My family inhaled the result, which was pleasantly sweet-tart.Will definitely make again but may try a few tweaks. I might add a squinch more salt to the crust dough and make in a smaller tart pan so the crust is a little thicker. My crust was browned well before the 75 minutes were up - and my oven is accurate. Also might chop half the cherries - so some are whole and some are more cooked into jamminess.

Genie

I agree the crust needs a pinch more salt.

Virginia

I made this recipe with frozen sour cherries, except that I didn’t have enough. Therefore I made up the difference with store-bought frozen blueberries. I made sure to thaw and drain both thoroughly. I didn’t have almonds so used hazelnuts. Didn’t have almond extract so used vanilla. Result was a beautiful two-toned tart that was heavenly.

Jessica

Delicious! Made this with fresh sour cherries and used almond meal that I had on hand instead of grinding my own.

Sarah

This might work better in a slightly smaller tart pan. I used an 11" pan and the cherries didn't cover the bottom. I increased the pate brisee by a third (about 1 cup flour, 1 stick butter) and had just enough pastry. Still, absolutely delicious and in the keeper file.

Sarah

I baked at 400 for 55 minutes, once it was browned to my liking. This was a wonderful dessert!

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Sour Cherry Tart Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between tart and sour cherries? ›

Tart cherries (scientific name Prunus cerasus) are also called sour cherries. They are best known as a key ingredient in desserts; most importantly, the cherry pie. However, tart cherries are also delicious in preserves, main courses, salads, side dishes and beverages.

What makes sour cherry sour? ›

The fruits contain high acid and low sugar, developing a tart, sour, and tannic flavor mixed with bright, fruity, and sweet nuances.

Will sour cherries ripen after picking? ›

(Cherries picked before they are mature will not ripen off the tree.) For immediate use, the cherries can be picked without the stems attached to the fruit. However, quality is best retained during storage if the fruit are harvested with the stems attached. Refrigerate cherries at 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why is it so hard to find sour cherries? ›

So if they're so great, why are they so hard to find? Well, part of the reason is that they don't last very long once they are picked, which means they aren't commercially viable. Sour cherries are slightly smaller than their sweeter cousins and have a bright red color – very bright.

Which tart cherry is best? ›

The Montmorency tart cherry is the most popular type grown in the U.S. Tart cherry fruit contains chemicals that might reduce swelling and act as antioxidants.

Which sour cherry is best? ›

Montmorency are some of the most popular types of sour cherries due to their overwhelming versatility. They are often found in health juices and baked goods. Montmorency cherries are medium to large and have a round shape. Their skin is bright red and inside is yellow flesh.

What is a sour cherry called in English? ›

Prunus cerasus (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe, North Africa and West Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry (Prunus avium), but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible.

Are sour cherries high in sugar? ›

It was similar to sugar content in other sour fruit, for example, cornelian cherry, in which total sugars in the fruits were 4.1–16.4% [14,15] and less than in sweet cherries, where 7.7–26.5% of total sugars was determined [16,17,18].

Why are sour cherries so expensive? ›

Part of the reason they are often expensive is that they can be labor-intensive since they are usually picked by hand, the cherries don't grow in all areas, the cherry season isn't very long, and simply because they can be sold for a lot of money.

Do you need two sour cherry trees to produce fruit? ›

Only one sour cherry tree needs to be planted for pollination and fruit set. Many sweet cherry varieties cannot produce fruit from their own pollen and are considered self-unfruitful. These plants require cross-pollination for fruit set.

Can you eat sour cherries without cooking them? ›

Types. There are two main types of cherries. Sweet: These cherries are usually eaten raw, but can be cooked. Tart (sour): These cherries are almost always eaten cooked.

Are sour cherries a laxative? ›

Cherries Can Have a Laxative Effect

“Cherries contain sorbitol and xylitol, both of which are sugar alcohols,” Deborah Cohen, DCN, associate professor in the Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University, told Health. “When consumed in large amounts, they can have a laxative effect.”

What state produces the most sour cherries? ›

Harvesting over 90,000 tons of cherries each year, Michigan is the nation's leading producer of tart cherries. The Montmorency cherry is the variety of tart, or sour, cherry most commonly grown in the state.

Where in the US do sour cherries grow? ›

In the United States, most sweet cherries for fresh use are grown in California and Washington. Most sour (also called tart) cherries are grown in four states bordering the Great Lakes, in Michigan (the largest producers of cherries among the states), New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Are sour and tart the same thing? ›

1 Answer. Tart is also an acidic taste but it is lighter and a little sweet. If you take the sour lemon, add water and sugar to make lemonade you have a tart taste. An apple pie is also tart because it has sugar added.

Do tart and sour mean the same thing? ›

"Sour" is a broad term that includes a range of tastes. For instance, we describe the unpleasant taste of spoiled milk as sour, as well as the sharp acidic taste of vinegars, and other tastes too. "Tart" is a subset of "sour" and is a narrower term which suggests acidic fruitiness.

What's the difference between tart cherry juice and sour cherry juice? ›

As mentioned, TART cherry juice (aka SOUR cherry juice) is more sour to taste than sweet cherry, provides a higher amount of anthocyanins and nutrients when compared to black cherry juice or sweet cherry juice, which is by name sweeter to taste and contains fewer anthocyanins.

What are the real sour cherries? ›

Montmorency, Morello, and Balaton are all sour cherry varieties. They're usually soft, and smaller than sweet cherries.

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