RHUBARB AND SOUR CHERRY TART

filling adapted from Michelle Polzine
makes one 12- inch tart

Sour Cream Pastry 
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup cold water
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup fine cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
 
In a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, orange juice and cold water. Place this in the fridge. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal and salt. Use a bench scraper or your fingertips to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should be crumbly and resemble coarse cornmeal. Retrieve the sour cream/orange juice/water mixture from the fridge. Gradually add it to the flour/butter mixture, using a fork to gently incorporate most of the liquid into the dry ingredients. You want the pastry to be moist but not overly wet. (You will probably be left with a tablespoon or so of liquid that does not go into the pastry.) Gather the dough together and shape it into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling out.
 
When ready to roll out the dough, lightly dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour. Roll out the dough on the parchment paper into a circle about 13” in diameter and ⅛” thick. Place the parchment on a baking sheet and refrigerate the pastry while you prepare the filling. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
 
For the Sour Cherry Lekvar-
1 cup dried sour cherries
½ cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine the cherries, water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat, cover, and let stand for one hour, until cherries are soft. Return the mixture to a simmer and simmer just until most of the liquid has reduced. Add the vanilla extract. Let cool, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Puree until smooth then transfer the mixture to a container and let cool completely. Can be made one day ahead, covered and refrigerated.
 
For the filling-

3 tablespoons fine dry cookie or cake crumbs
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 cup Sour Cherry Lekvar
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
orange zest from one small orange
pinch of kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces (frozen is fine- blot away excess ice crystals)
1 cup frozen tart cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
coarse sanding sugar for sprinkling
 
In a small bowl, combine crumbs and 1 teaspoon of flour. Retrieve chilled pastry from the fridge, leaving the dough on the parchment. Spread the cooled cherry lekvar over the dough, leaving a ½” border. Sprinkle the crumb/flour mixture evenly over the lekvar. Slide the pastry (still on the parchment) back onto a baking sheet, and return to the refrigerator. Be sure to preheat your oven to 425°

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, brown sugar, the orange zest, salt, and cardamom. Set aside. Retrieve the pastry circle from the fridge. Place the rhubarb and the frozen, tart cherries in a large bowl. Toss with the sugar mixture, stirring to coat. Spread the rhubarb/cherry mixture evenly over the dough, just up to the edges of the lekvar and crumbs. (Work quickly so the rhubarb and cherries don’t give off too much liquid.) Fold the edges of the dough up and over, twisting them to form an edge. Brush the edge with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Refrigerate the tart for 20 minutes. 
 
Retrieve the tart from the fridge and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Transfer the tart (on the parchment) to a baking sheet (or preferably to a pizza stone) and bake on the lowest rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°,
cut a parchment paper circle (around 11”) with a few holes to allow steam to escape, and cover the tart with the parchment circle. Bake until the rhubarb and cherries bubble and the crust is deeply golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes before transferring the tart to a wire rack. To release the tart from the parchment paper, use the removable bottom from a tart pan or a large icing spatula. (The tart will be fragile, so be gentle.) Best served warm or at room temperature.