Wild Yeast

Notes from my kitchen, in which I bake bread and raise a few other matters

Daring Bake(r)well Tart with Reliable Cherry Jam

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The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.

Talk about a no-brainer.

No, I don’t usually use that term in conjunction with a Daring Bakers’ challenge. But in considering what I would use to fill this month’s Bakewell Tart (pudding, whatever)…well, if it’s June in this part of California, we’re talking cherries. No need to pull out the old thinking cap for that one.

And what a glorious cherry season we’ve had this year. You know how you always feel like you need to taste cherries before buying to make sure they’re not too sour, or too mushy, or just plain tasteless? Well, not this year. I mean, I don’t think I’ve put one single bad cherry in my mouth.

From farmers markets, from roadside stands, from the open-air market across the street from my clinic, even from the supermarkets, they’ve been good. And by good I mean perfect. And by perfect I mean firm, sweet, juicy, and 100% reliable. You just can’t do any better than reliable cherries. Like a good night’s sleep, reliable cherries make your problems a little less problematic, and the sweet stuff just that much sweeter.

So the decision was easy, and so was the making of the jam (with the help of my June best friend, the cherry pitter). David Lebovitz’s No-Recipe Cherry Jam was, its name notwithstanding, the perfect recipe. With a little Pama pomegranate liqueur added just for kicks.

And so, the crust of the Bakewell Tart, which would normally have posed a problem for me because crusts and I do not get along, was not really problematic at all, and the sweet almond frangipane layer topping the jam was very sweet indeed. It does help to have all those reliable cherries in your corner.

Hundreds more Bakewell Tarts are on display today, courtesy of my daring DB friends, our lovely hosts Jasmine and Annemarie, and of course our tireless bakers-in-chief, Lis and Ivonne.

CommentsLeave a comment

  3. Oh, Susan, this is beautiful! And cherries are my absolute favorite, so this is doubly perfect! I want this recipe!

  5. Mmmmm, looks totally gorgeous! I adore cherry jam and I think it would be really delicious in this tart…I may have to try it again with this jam. Yum!!

  6. I’m sure good cherries helped, but I think you should give yourself some credit for that good lookin’ tart, Susan.

  8. Beautiful Susan! I like your choice of cherry jam. Sounds wonderful. Ahh, at last, you crust and Susan get a long! This is a good start …

  10. Looks fabulous!!
    And thanks so much for the jam link- I have cherries that need to be used up for something, and jam would be perfect!!

  11. There’s nothing like reliable cherries, when you just *know* they’re going to be oh-so-good. Gorgeous looking Bakewell Tart… er, pudding!

  12. Hi Susan,
    Another interesting and high calorie delight! The frangipane layer is especially interesting – I see that it has almost no flour, but yours has a “cakey” texture look to it – is it more cake than pudding?

    I love almond flavoring!
    doc

  15. Gorgeous! And being from Wisconsin, home of tart baking cherries, I get you on the cherry thing – perfection, and so summery!

  17. I think quite a few people went with cherries}:P The only thing that would have made mine better, was if I’d been able to get Michigan cherries from back home. Oh well.

  18. Lovely tart, Susan.

    I’ve been eyeing the cherries at the local markets, but it’s still a bit early in the season.

  22. Reliable…never thought of cherries that way, but I can see your point. The tart is beautiful…you used a lot of that No-Reicpe cherry jam…and I’m sure it tasted great!

  24. Love the rusticity of your pictures which matches so well with that kind of tart! Very nicely done, the final result looks simply perfect.

  25. I am all about cherries, jam and a tart that looks like yours. This is on my to do list this week. Fabulous!

  26. You are so lucky with your cherries–my parents’ tree hasn’t yielded ripe fruit yet and I am *so* impatient.
    Great work on the challenge. Thanks for participating.

    j

  29. Here in central France it’s also been a bumper cherry year. We’ve just bought an orchard, and have been making batch after batch of David Lebovitz’s jam. Bakewell Tart (…err pudding) is a great idea, to go along with our cordial, coulis and preserves. (BTW, the supposedly real thing, from the shop in Bakewell, are disgusting.)

  30. Cherries…YUMMY!

    Beautiful tart and awesome cherries. 🙂 I’m like you, Susan, tart and pie dough are impossible … but this item was a breeze.

  33. What a lovely tart, I think you are the only person convinced that you can’t cook or make pastry dough.

    Cherries jam, I will have to check David’s recipe.

  34. I’ve made David’s cherry jam, too, and it was fantastic. Of course, now I must hit the orchards in the area to get some sour cherries, despite my promises not to do so this year. Sigh. Your blog is addictive.

  35. Your right — the cherries have been lovely this year, and your tart looks lovely, too. I bet it the cherries were great with the almond filling. That’s a wonderful combo!

  36. I can’t believe I missed your Bakewell tart! Up until the dumplings, I didn’t know you were a DK member (silly, ditzy me)!

    That said, what can I say? Absolute perfection, and that cherry jam is jewel like. I think a true Brit would say something akin to – “Smashing tart, absolutely gobsmacking!” ;D

  37. Lovely! I just bought a bunch of cherries today, and the jam recipe (or non recipe) and tart look so tempting. . . Great job with this challenge. It looks like you added just the right amount of jam, and your frangipane layer looks perfect.

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