Chocolate cherry tartlets

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Chocolate cherry tartlets.jpg

Serves: 4 with leftovers for breakfast


INGREDIENTS

Pastry:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup cubed unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup cubed block cream cheese

Cherry filling:

  • ¼ cup cherry jam
  • 1 tablespoon cherry pomegranate juice or cherry liqueur
  • 1 cup pitted cherries, cut in half
  • 3 ounces (84 grams) dark chocolate, about 70 per cent
  • 6 whole cherries, stems on

METHOD

Combine flour, sugar, zest and salt in a food processor.

Whirl to mix. Add butter and cream cheese. Pulse until it begins to come together, but not until it forms a ball.

Turn out onto a floured surface. Bring together and knead into a ball. Form into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out dough into a circle on a floured surface. Using a floured 4-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles. Bring remaining dough back together and re-roll if needed. You should have 6 circles.

Grease a 6-cup muffin tin. Fit circle into each muffin cup. Prick the base and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F while pastry is chilling.; Bake tart shells for 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is pale gold. Cool.

Combine cherry jam and juice in a small pot. Stir over medium-low heat, 2 to 3 minutes or until well thickened. Toss in cherries and coat them with glaze.

Melt chocolate in a heavy pot over low heat stirring occasionally or until just melted. Stir until smooth. Dip whole cherries in chocolate and set on a plate. When tart shells are cool, brush remaining chocolate over each base. Divide cherry mixture among shells. Top each with chocolate-dipped cherry.