Torta Colonne (cherry tart/pie) – Puglia

Torta Colonne (cherry tart/pie) - Puglia
 
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I was walking down the road on a particularly grey miserable drizzly day when I spotted a crate of sour cherries. They were a bright, shiny race car red and I could not stop staring at them. I scrolled through the rolodex of recipes in my head thinking what I could make and I thought back to two summers ago to my friend Chiara's birthday. Her aunt made a beautiful cherry pie for her birthday.
If you are short on time or out of cherry season, just use store bought sour cherry jam. The pastry feels a bit too wet but don't worry it bakes beautifully.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert (Dolci)
Cuisine: Puglia
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 170 grams flour
  • 180 grams sugar
  • 8 grams cocoa powder
  • 6 grams ground cinnamon
  • 170 grams almonds, freshly ground
  • 210 grams butter, room temperature
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
  • 10 ml cherry liqueur
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 kilo cherry jam (can use store bought if short on time or cherries)
  • 1 egg yolk
Instructions
  1. Add the sugar, flour, almonds, cocoa and cinnamon to a mixing bowl.
  3. Add in the butter, egg, cherry liqueur and vanilla until well combined being careful not to over mix the dough.
  5. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Heat the oven to 175C. Grease a tart pan.
  7. Place the pastry on a floured sheet of parchment paper and flour the top and a rolling pin. Beat the pastry down with a rolling pin to flatten it out.
  9. Roll the pastry to slightly larger than the tart pan.
  11. Invert the parchment paper onto the tart pan and peel away the parchment paper.
  13. Push the pastry into the tart pan, particularly in the corners so the pastry lining the sides doesn't slump down as it bakes.Cut any excess pastry off the top.
  15. Wrap the remaining pastry in cling film and place in the refrigerator. Poke the crust with a fork all over and place the tart pan in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator and spread the cherry jam inside.
  17. Roll the remaining pastry out and slice into strips to lay across the tart. Cut off the excess pastry.
  19. Brush the top of the pastry with the remaining egg yolk.
  21. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden.