Sour Cherry Tart

The sour cherry tart is a delicious dessert typical of Roman pastry shops. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 300 g of 00 flour
• 150 g of cold butter, cubed
• 120 g of sugar
• 1 whole egg and 1 yolk
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (untreated)
• A pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 400 g of sour cherry jam (can vary according to taste and desired amount of filling)
• 200 g of ricotta (optional, for a creamier version)
• 2 tablespoons of sugar (if using ricotta)
• 1 sachet of vanillin or the seeds of a vanilla pod (if using ricotta)

Preparation

1. To prepare the shortcrust pastry, in a bowl mix the flour and butter until you obtain a sandy mixture.
2. Add the sugar, grated lemon zest, a pinch of salt, the whole egg, and yolk. Work the dough quickly to form an even ball.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
4. In the meantime, if you choose to use ricotta, mix it with sugar and vanillin until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
6. Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a floured surface, trying to maintain an even thickness of about 5 mm.
7. Transfer the pastry into a tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom), prick the base with the tines of a fork and trim the excess from the edges.
8. Pour the sour cherry jam onto the pastry, and if you have chosen to use the ricotta, add a layer of this cream on top of the jam.
9. With the leftover shortcrust pastry, form strips and lay them over the surface of the tart to create a lattice pattern.
10. Bake the tart for about 30-35 minutes or until the surface is golden brown.
11. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Curiosity

Sour cherries are a variety of tart cherries, very common in the Lazio region and particularly renowned from Vignola. In Rome, the sour cherry tart is a real institution and is often paired with a ricotta cream, which adds creaminess to the tart flavor of the fruit.