Raspberry-Almond Cream Tart with Chocolate Ganache

For Cashew Crust (crust recipe from Epicurious):
1/2 cup salted roasted cashews
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk

To Make Crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Wrap outside of 9-inch-diameter spring form pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind cashews and brown sugar in processor. Add flour and spices; blend 5 seconds. Add butter and blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk; using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form. Press dough over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan. Pierce crust all over with fork. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

For Almond Cream:
1 7-ounce package almond paste
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup raspberries

To make Almond Cream:
Blend almond paste, cream cheese and whipping cream in processor until almost smooth. Sprinkle 1 cup raspberries over crust. Spoon almond cream into center of tart and spread evenly. Bake 7 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

For Chocolate Ganache Topping:
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 ounces chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries

To make Chocolate Ganache Topping:
In medium sauce pan, heat cream over medium heat. Add chocolate and stir as it melts. When mixture is smooth and shiny, add vanilla and remove from heat. Cool 10-15 minutes, so that it is not hot but is still very pliable. Spoon chocolate ganache over almond cream and spread smoothly so that it covers entire top and touches the sides of the crust. Arrange raspberries atop chocolate.

Let stand until until chocolate reached room temperature, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Sour Cherry and Ricotta Tart

I posted recently about making fresh Ricotta Cheese. I received the Silver Spoon cookbook as a gift from my parents and found a recipe that utilizes the ricotta nicely. A ricotta and cherry tart is an elegant dessert - AND you can use the leftover lemon rind from making the ricotta cheese.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sweet butter, chopped into small 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 egg yolk
Lemon rind, minced (from 1/2 lemon)
2 cups sour cherries, pitted
1 1/2 cups Ricotta Cheese

Sift to make a mound. In the center, add the egg yolk, butter, lemon rind and half of the sugar. Mix well and shape into a ball. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Add cherries, 4 tablespoons water and remaining sugar in medium sauce pan and cook 20 minutes over medium-low heat. (Bring to a simmer, then turn to medium-low).

Drain the cherries and mix with ricotta in medium-sized bowl.

Grease and dust a tart pan. Halve the dough and roll out one half on lightly floured surface to make a 1/4 inch thick circle. Place in tart pan. Roll out remaining dough and cut into long strips to make a lattice top for the tart.

Sprinkle ricotta mixture over tart shell. Cover with lattice strips and press remaining dough around sides of tart forming a ring. Use enough pressure to seal the dough to tart shell.

Bake about 45 minutes, then let cool before serving.