Ingrid's Chocolate Cherry Tart

Ingredients

• 3-4 dozen cherries, stoned and soaked in 2 tbsp cherry eau de vie

• 200g dark chocolate (keep 50g for the top)

• 250g unsalted butter

• 4 eggs

• 150g light muscovado sugar

• 150g vanilla caster sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 120g plain or ‘oo’ flour

• 1 level tsp baking powder

• a pinch of salt

• 2 tbsp dark cocao powder

• 1 or 2 brace of cherries to decorate

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Directions

Preheat oven at 180 degree C. Make sweet crust pastry with 180g/90g ratio. 

Bake blind in 26cm/10 inch tart tin and dry out as usual.  Meanwhile, make brownie mix and soak the cherries.

Melt the chocolate and butter together gently in a pan over low heat and remove from heat before the chocolate is all liquid, so it doesn’t separate.  Cool.  Beat eggs, sugars and vanilla with the Kitchen Aid or mixer whisk until really light and considerably thickened, which will take 2-3 minutes. 

Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder, scrape in the chocolate and butter and beat briefly to combine.   Add the stoned cherries in their liquor with a rubber spatula , folding them in, then scrape the mixture into the pastry case, smooth and return to the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes.  A skewer should come out a little sticky, but not coated with liquid chocolate.  

Remove to a rack and cool until warm.  Turn out the brownie tart.  Warm the rest of the chocolate very gently then dip in the few pairs of cherries and place them on top of the tart.  Drip melted chocolate over the tart.  

Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled with Jersey or clotted cream.  And a shot of cherry eau de vie!

Serves 8-10.