This pastry is very rich but the lime zest cuts the richness and works well with the cherry flavour.
Servings: 4 with leftovers for breakfast
Ready Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Pastry
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cubed unsalted butter
1/3 cup cubed block cream cheese
Cherry filling
¼ cup cherry jam
1 tablespoon cherry pomegranate juice or cherry liqueur
1 cup pitted cherries, cut in half
3 ounces (84 grams) dark chocolate, about 70 per cent
6 whole cherries, stems on
Method
Combine flour, sugar, zest and salt in a food processor.
Whirl to mix. Add butter and cream cheese. Pulse until it begins to come together, but not until it forms a ball.
Turn out onto a floured surface. Bring together and knead into a ball. Form into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out dough into a circle on a floured surface. Using a floured 4-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles. Bring remaining dough back together and re-roll if needed. You should have 6 circles.
Grease a 6-cup muffin tin. Fit circle into each muffin cup. Prick the base and freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F while pastry is chilling.; Bake tart shells for 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is pale gold. Cool.
Combine cherry jam and juice in a small pot. Stir over medium-low heat, 2 to 3 minutes or until well thickened. Toss in cherries and coat them with glaze.
Melt chocolate in a heavy pot over low heat stirring occasionally or until just melted. Stir until smooth. Dip whole cherries in chocolate and set on a plate. When tart shells are cool, brush remaining chocolate over each base. Divide cherry mixture among shells. Top each with chocolate-dipped cherry.