CHERRY CROSTATA WITH ZÉLIKHA DINGA-BERRAMDANE, CARO DIARIO

CHERRY CROSTATA

Ingredients

For the crostata dough:

220g flour
20g cornflour
90g icing sugar
1 egg
4g sea salt flakes
140g softened butter
30g ground almonds

For the cherry jam:

300g pitted cherries
250g sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 vanilla pod

For the sage pastry cream:

250g milk
2/3 sage leaves
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
60g egg yolks (around 3)
60g sugar
25g cornflour
25g butter

For the crostata:

400g pitted cherries

Method

Crostata dough:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together.

2. Add the egg, followed by the flour, cornflour, icing sugar and ground almonds.

3. Mix together until well combined.

4. Wrap the dough in film and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

5. Remove from the fridge and roll out. Place in a well-greased and lined crostata tin. Leave to rest for another hour in the fridge.

6. Perforate the dough base with a fork and blind bake with baking beans for around 30 minutes, at 170 degrees celsius.

7. Allow to cool and place to rest.

Cherry jam:

1. Halve the vanilla pod and remove the seeds (keep the seeds for the pastry cream). Place with the cherries and sugar to infuse for a few hours.

2. Transfer to a saucepan. Cook the cherries and sugar over a medium heat until it bubbles, then simmer on a low heat for around 30 minutes.

3. Add the lemon juice at the end of cooking.

4. Let it cool.

Sage pastry cream:

1. Infuse the milk with vanilla seeds and sage leaves for at least 1 hour.

2. Remove the vanilla seeds and sage leaves before heating the milk.

3. Beat together the sugar, with egg yolks and cornflour.

4. Pour the hot milk over the sugar, egg yolk and cornflour mixture and mix vigorously.

5. Pour into a saucepan and mix together. Place on the heat. At the first boil, remove from the heat and add the butter.

6. Cover with film and refrigerate until cold.

Assembling the crostata:

Place a layer of cherry jam onto the bottom of the tart.

Whisk the pastry cream to soften it, and add a layer onto the jam with a spoon or piping bag. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Before serving, heat two generous tablespoons of cherry jam and mix with the cherries. Drain for half an hour. Add these onto the pastry cream layer and keep refrigerated before serving.