A Beautiful and Delicious Valentine Treat

Okay, so I made these way prior to Valentine's Day, in order to be able to put the recipe here. But these were truly delightful, no matter when. And I had to make something beautiful to put on the pretty heart shaped plates I had just bought. And so these Cherry Custard Tarts were born.

Cherry Custard Tarts

I had also bought individual tart pans with removable bottoms, and wanted to use those, for ease of removal from the pans. As it happens, while it might seem like a lot of work, it isn't as bad as all that, and if you are making these for your beloved, it is worth a little bit of effort. 

Cherry Custard Tarts

My one and only complaint is that the custard wasn't quite as firm as I had hoped, but it was certainly firm enough to do what it needed to do - stay inside the shell. All the flavors were just perfect. Sweet, but not too sweet. The Kirsch in the custard and in the strained preserves gave just that hint of something more, without jumping out and screaming, "Taste me!" And they were pretty. They were so very pretty setting on the heart shaped plates. And I was so pleased to serve these to my husband, albeit a little prior to Valentine's Day.

I made little tart shells using my usual Never Fail Pie Pastry, but any favorite pie pastry for a 9 or 10-inch pie will work. Whenever I make this pie pastry, as it makes enough for 3 or 4 pies, I always freeze extra individual portions, so they are available whenever needed. I made these as individual tarts with a 4-inch base, but if making it in a larger, single 9 or 10-inch tart pan, you might want to use a different filling, as this one worked fine in small tarts, but would not hold to slice and serve a larger slice. 

I would have preferred to use a can of cherries in syrup, but this was not available, so instead I used a can of cherry pie filling and fished out the cherries. Looking back, this might have been for the best, as the cherries were very small, and looked much nicer on these small tarts than would larger cherries. I wanted to "glaze" the tart with strained cherry preserves with a little Kirsch, so once the cherries were in place it was drizzled over top. Once cooled, this glaze holds everything in place. And then of course, I put a pretty piped dollop of Mascarpone Whipped Cream to top it all off. 

I tried something I had never done before, when baking the tart shells. I truly hate blind baking shells, as they always shrink so much. I line the shells, fill them with beans or rice or what-have-you, and they still shrink. And they still bubble up once the foil is removed and the final baking is done. So, while watching "The Great British Baking Show," I noticed that they never trim a crust before baking. I gathered it was to prevent this kind of shrinkage, and then they trim the shell once it is finished baking. I tried this out. But, I do not believe it really prevented shrinkage. The pastry shrinks a bit, regardless of how it is placed in the pan, and if it can't shrink downwards, then the bottom shrinks upwards. This is what happened, and once I trimmed the baked shells, they all sat themselves well down, at least ⅛-inch. With little tarts, this is a significant amount. So, I am not sure it made any real difference at all.

Cherry Custard Tarts

Cherry Custard Tarts

Makes four (4-inch) tarts 

Pastry for one 9 - 10-inch pie

CUSTARD:
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons Kirsch (cherry liqueur), optional
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter in small cubes
2 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped

FOR TOPPINGS:
1 can cherries in syrup, or cherry pie filling
1 jar cherry preserves
1 tablespoon Kirsch, optional

MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM:
¼ cup whipping or heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
2 ounces mascarpone (about ¼ cup)
1 teaspoon Kirsch, optional

Milk mixture; egg yolks; cooking milk mixture; boiling the mixture

MAKE CUSTARD: In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and white chocolate; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks; set aside, but keep nearby. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, all-purpose flour and salt. Whisk in the milk until smooth and set on the stove on medium heat. Whisking constantly, allow the mixture to come to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue whisking for 3 minutes more. Leave burner on and remove the pan from the burner. 

milk into egg - whisk and repeat - egg mixture into pan - whisk thoroughly

Off the heat, add a small ladle of the hot liquid into the whisked eggs, then whisk briskly to incorporate. Repeat this twice more, then pour all the egg mixture back into the hot saucepan. Whisk, then return to the burner, whisking for about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from the burner and immediately empty the saucepan into the bowl with the butter and white chocolate. Add the vanilla and Kirsch and stir, until the chocolate is completely melted. Cover the custard with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the custard, to prevent a skin forming. Set aside to cool completely. If not using once cooled, refrigerate until needed.

white chocolate and butter in bowl - pour in hot mixture - add flavors - whisk and cover

MAKE TART SHELLS: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide the pastry into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into an 8 or 9-inch diameter circle. Fit gently into the tart pans, pressing into all the ridges and corners without stretching and leave the overhang in place. Cut four pieces of aluminum foil and gently press into the pastry, fitting into the corners. Fill with dried beans, or rice, or other pie weights. Set the tart shells onto a baking sheet with rim and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden. Remove from oven, leaving oven on. Remove the foil and beans (rice, weights) from each shell and prick the bottoms of each tart shell, then return to the oven for 6 to 8 minutes more, until the bottoms are also golden. Remove from oven.

 

cut pastry circles - line tart pans - fit foil - add beans and bake

As soon as the shells are cool enough, with a knife trim the edges flush with the top of the tart pans. Discard the trimmings. Allow the shells to cool completely. Once cooled, divide the cooled custard between each of the shells. 

Tart shells baked; filled with custard; cherries and preserves; mascarpone whipped cream

TOPPINGS: If using cherry pie filling, remove at least 12 cherries for each of the tarts, placing the cherries all around the edges. In a small saucepan, heat about ½-cup of the cherry preserves with the tablespoon of Kirsch until just boiling. Strain the preserves through a strainer, pressing to extract as much as possible. Drizzle this heated mixture over the cherries at the edges of the tarts, then into the center, smoothing gently to cover evenly. Chill the tarts for at least an hour or two.

MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM: In a small mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the whipping cream until just set. Add the confectioners' sugar and the mascarpone cheese and beat just until all incorporated, and the mixture holds shape. Place a dollop onto each tart before serving, or pipe on with a large star tip.

Remove the rims of the tart pans, then gently slide the tart off the base and onto a plate, to serve.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.