Cherry Tart with Cheese Hearts

The flour is sifted carefully and mixed with a pinch of salt, this step being essential to ensure an even texture of the dough. In a large bowl, the butter at room temperature is creamed together with the sugar until a creamy composition of a pleasant white is obtained. It is important to ensure that the butter is well incorporated to achieve a tender dough. Then, we add the beaten egg, grated lemon zest, and vanilla sugar, mixing continuously to combine all the ingredients. Finally, we add the flour over this mixture and start kneading gently until we obtain a homogeneous dough, but without over-kneading it to avoid becoming too elastic. Once the dough is ready, we cover it and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool and firm up a bit, thus facilitating its further shaping.

Meanwhile, we take care of the oven, which we preheat to 205 degrees Celsius. We prepare a tart pan that we grease with oil, ensuring it is evenly coated, and we prepare another tray, which we line with baking paper. From the refrigerated dough, we keep 1/3 for decoration, while the remaining 2/3 is rolled out with a rolling pin and carefully placed in the tart pan, pressing gently to fit the shape. From the reserved dough, we shape hearts using a cutter, which we place on the lined tray.

We put both pans in the oven for 5 minutes at high temperature, then reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius and let bake for another 15-17 minutes, until the dough turns golden and is well cooked. Meanwhile, we prepare the filling: the sour cherries are chopped finely and put in a pot to boil, along with the cherry juice, of which we reserve 4 tablespoons for the starch mixture. In another bowl, we combine the starch with the sugar and mix well with the reserved lemon juice and cherry juice. When the cherries have boiled for 5 minutes, we add the starch mixture and boil everything for another 2 minutes, until the composition thickens.

In a blender, we put the cottage cheese, grated lemon zest, sour cream, and powdered sugar, blending until we obtain a fine and homogeneous cream. After the tart dough has cooled, we add the warm cherries on top, distributed evenly. On top of the cherries, we place the heart-shaped dough pieces, and then fill each heart with the cheese cream, ensuring it is well distributed. This tart with cherries and cottage cheese is not just a delicacy but also a true culinary masterpiece, perfect for any special occasion!