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Sour Cherry Season
Howard found sour cherries at the Charlton Orchards tent at the Lexington Farmers Market this week. Time for our annual summer cherry tart. Yum!
Cherries and almonds go so well together that I usually make my tart with a crumbly topping with almonds and almond paste. I was out of almond paste and didn’t want to run to the store. Instead, I took inspiration from this post on cherries from Dorie Greenspan. I made a variation of her crumble topping, using pistachios and cardamom, as the Pierre Hermé tart pictured in her post.
Howard and I shared the work of pitting the cherries. I make a tart instead of a pie, so a quart of cherries will fill the shell adequately. We have a cherry pitter, but it seems like the pits never fit through the hole, so working with a knife goes much faster. Between the two of us, the job went quickly and companionably.
The evening was a little hot for baking, but it was worth heating up the kitchen for a little while.
Sour Cherry Pie with Pistachio and Cardamom Topping
Pastry for a 9-inch pastry shell
Pistachio and Cardamom Crumble Topping (see below)
2 cups pitted sour cherries (1 quart unpitted)
1½ Tbsp sugar
½ Tbsp instant tapioca
Roll out the pastry and place in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. I fold the overhang back into the pan and press to the sides to strengthen the shell. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Butter a piece of foil or parchment paper, and place, buttered side down, in the chilled shell. Fill the foil with beans or other pie weights. (I keep a large jar of dried white beans that I use as pie weights. Once they cool, I put them back in the jar and reuse them.)
Bake in a preheated 450F oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil liner. Prick the bottom again if it has puffed up. Bake 10 more minutes without the foil, until lightly golden.
Reduce oven temperature to 375F.
Combine the cherries, sugar, tapioca, and ½ cup crumble topping. Fill the tart shell with the cherry mixture. Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top.
Bake for 30 minutes until topping is lightly brown and filling is bubbly.
Pistachio and Cardamom Crumble Topping
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
- ½ c flour
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ c packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 c sugar
- 7 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
- ½ c pistachios
In the food processor, pulse together all the ingredients except the pistachios until coarse crumbs form. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in the pistachios. You can make this a day or two ahead. Just put the topping in a covered container and store in the refrigerator.
Put all the ingredients, except the pistachios, in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms curds and clumps and holds together when pressed. Add the pistachios, pulse a couple of times and, if you’re not ready to make the crumble, turn the mixture out into a bowl, cover and chill until needed.
Happy Patriot’s Day
Today is Patriot’s Day. I suspect this is a little known holiday outside of Massachusetts (and Maine, which used to be part of Massachusetts), though it actually has national significance. In the Boston area, many people think of the holiday as “Boston Marathon” Day.
Patriot’s Day actually commemorates the start of the American Revolution, back on April 17, 1775. Remember the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere? Living in Lexington, Massachusetts, we have a lot going on in town for this holiday. My favorite events include: The night before, there is the late night arrival of Paul Revere on horseback at the Hancock-Clarke House to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British Regulars were on their way. Then, there is the early morning re-enactment of the battle of Lexington on the Green. There are fund-raising pancake breakfasts. There’s a road race that goes right by our house. And, there’s the good old-fashioned parade through the center of town.
I made the mistake of not taking off the day from work today. Sometimes, Howard and I both take the day off and get started cleaning up the garden. This year, we had a head start. I planted my pansies and cleaned out the herb garden a couple of weeks ago. I ended up scheduling some meetings for today so I couldn’t even spontaneously take the day off.
After a damp, raw weekend, today turned out to be a beautiful day, crisp and sunny. Unfortunately, I spent the day inside, at my desk. I would have loved to enjoy the parade instead.
I couldn’t really think of anything to cook that went with the Patriot’s Day theme. What I came up with was a batch of scones, as a tribute to the country’s British heritage. Of course, the point of the American Revolution was to separate from the mother country, but we always have to remember where we came from.
Apricot and Golden Raisin Cream Scones
Adapted from Confections of a Closet Master Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado
Makes 1 dozen
½ cup heavy cream
1 egg
1 tsp lemon extract
3 Tbsp sugar
2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp wheat germ
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
6 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
3/8 cup diced dried apricots
3/8 cup golden raisins
More cream and turbinado sugar, for tops of scones
Preheat the oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat germ, salt and baking powder. With your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Toss the apricots and raisins in the flour mixture to distribute and coat.
In another bowl, combine the cream, egg, lemon extract, and sugar. Using a fork, mix the cream mixture into the flour mixture until just combined into a dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 30 seconds.
Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a circle about 1 inch high and 6 inches across. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Transfer the scones to a baking sheet. Brush each wedge with some cream, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake scones for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with butter, jam, or just plain.
A Plateful of Happiness 