INGREDIENTS:

• 1ml salt
• 75g butter
• 2 eggs
• For the filling:
• 60g flour
• 100g caster sugar
• 5g ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• 10ml dry instant yeast
• 50ml milk
• 150ml fresh cream
• 1ml salt
• 400g fresh cherries, pitted
• For the sauce:
• 100g fresh cherries, pitted (we used glace)
• 50g sugar
• 5ml fresh lemon juice
• 30ml water

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

For the pastry: Mix the flour, sugar and salt and make a well in the centre. Melt the butter and add it to the well, along with the eggs.

Mix the dough with your fingertips to form a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for one hour.

For the filling: Whisk the flour, sugar, almonds, eggs, yeast, milk, cream and salt in a large bowl until well incorporated and let it stand for 20 minutes.

Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface, until 5mm thick and 16cm in diameter.

Line a loose-bottom tart tin with the dough and trim off the excess pastry.

Scatter the pitted cherries into the pastry shell and pour the filling in as well. The baking dish should be about three-quarters full.

Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm with cherry fruit sauce.

For the sauce: Blend the pitted cherries, sugar, water and lemon juice until smooth.

Tip:When using cherries in baked goods, you might notice a blue discolouration around the cherries in the finished product.

To prevent discolouration, substitute buttermilk or sour cream for milk in the recipe or add an acidic liquid such as lemon juice.

TIME: 30 minutes + 45 minutes' baking time

SERVES: Eight