From the menu of … Babette's Cafe, 573 North Highland Avenue, Atlanta; 404-523-9121; www.babettescafe.com
Q: My book group gathered at Babette's Cafe for our annual holiday dinner. This is our second time celebrating the holidays at Babette's in recent years. We shared desserts, which were all delicious. In particular, several of us remarked how wonderful the flavors were in the dried cherry and almond tart. Might you be able to request the recipe for me? — Geraldine Paxson, Decatur
A: We did request the recipe, and chef/owner Marla Adams was delighted to provide it. She cautions that this is a dessert best suited for colder months since the pastry can be difficult to work with in warmer weather.
At home, you may want to break the recipe down into components, preparing the pastry and filling one day and assembling and baking the tart on another.
Babette’s Cafe’s Dried Cherry Tart
1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups finely ground almonds or almond flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out dough
4 cups dried tart cherries (about 1 pound)
1 cup water
1/2 cup port
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg white
Powdered sugar, for garnish
Make almond short dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon at low speed until smooth and well mixed. Do not cream until light. Add almonds or almond flour and process just until incorporated. Add egg and vanilla and process just until absorbed. Add flour and process until evenly blended. Remove dough from mixer and divide into two portions, one 20 ounces and the other 14 ounces. Form each portion into disks, wrap tightly and chill at least 1 hour, or until ready to use. May be made up to 3 days ahead.
Make filling: In a medium saucepan, combine cherries, water and port and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat until all liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. May be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Thoroughly grease a 10-inch tart pan with fluted sides and removable bottom and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet.
Remove the larger piece of dough from the refrigerator. Using parchment paper and flour if needed, roll out the dough to a circle 1/8-inch thick. Gently move dough into prepared tart pan. If it tears, patch the pieces together. Trim edges, line tart shell with parchment paper and fill with beans. Bake 15 minutes, then remove from oven, remove beans and parchment paper and return tart shell to oven. Bake until bottom is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Do not turn off oven.
While tart shell is baking, Using parchment paper and flour if needed, roll out smaller disk of dough into a rectangle 1/8-inch thick. Move dough to a baking sheet and freeze.
When tart shell is cool, whisk cream with almond extract then toss with cooled cherries. Spread filling evenly in tart shell.
Remove dough from freezer and cut into 1-inch wide strips. Arrange on top of cherry filling to create a lattice pattern. Brush lattice with egg white and bake for 25 minutes or until the lattice dough is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. Dust slices with powdered sugar just before serving. Serves: 12
Per serving: 594 calories (percent of calories from fat, 38), 8 grams protein, 85 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 26 grams fat (12 grams saturated), 73 milligrams cholesterol, 104 milligrams sodium.
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