These delicious sweet pastry tartlets are easy to make and taste fantastic! Fill with a creamy mascarpone cheese mixture and lightly-cooked fresh cherries.
Ingredients
- 1 x pack frozen filo pastry, thawed
- 75g (3oz) butter, melted
- 50g (2oz) flaked almonds
- 50g (2oz) demerara sugar
- 450g (1lb) fresh cherries (you need 8 -9 cherries per tart)
- 250g mascarpone cheese
- 125ml (5fl.oz) crème fraiche or soured cream
- 50g (2oz) sugar
- 2tbsp redcurrant jelly, optional
Method
- Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F, gas mark 5). Open out the filo pastry sheets and cut the stack into four equal strips by making the cuts parallel to the short sides.
- Lay one pastry strip on the work surface, lightly brush with butter and then scatter over a few almonds and a little sugar (do the scattering sparingly). Place a second strip over the first to form an X, repeat with the brushing and scattering and then place a third strip on top so that it lies from left to right through the centre of the X, and repeat with the brushing etc.
- Now form a tartlet by scrunching up the filo pastry around the centre of the strips, leaving a 'base' of approx. 8cm/3in. Or, if you prefer, place a teacup or largish jam jar of these dimensions on the centre of the pastry and form up the sides around it, then gently lift off the cup.
- Brush again lightly with butter and if desired scatter with a few more almonds, place on a lined baking sheet and continue with remaining pastry.
- Bake tartlets for approx. 12 mins until they are golden brown. Allow to cool.
- Remove the stones from the cherries and place the fruit in a pan with a little sugar (about 50g (2oz)) depending on how sweet the cherries are) and sufficient water to cover. Bring to boil and then poach very gently for 5-8 minutes until they are just soft and heated through.
- Meanwhile combine the mascarpone cheese with the crème fraiche or soured cream.
- Spoon the cheese mixture between the tartlets, remove the cherries from the pan with a draining spoon and pile on top of the cheese, then rapidly boil the juices to reduce and thicken them, adding the redcurrant jelly if desired to give a syrupy consistency. Spoon over the cherries before serving.
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