Cherry, Pasilla Chile, and Vanilla Custard Tart

By Maverick19

This is the tart/dessert that Chef Alex Guarnaschelli made on the finale of Next Iron Chef.

Ingredients

• TART DOUGH:
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp sugar
• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cubed and cold
• grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup ice water
• PASTRY CREAM:
• 6 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and scraped
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• TOPPING:
• 4 cups rich red wine, preferably merlot or zinfandel
• 1/2 small cinnamon stick
• 3 pasilla chiles, stemmed and soaked in warm water until softened
• 4-5 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 pound fresh cherries, split and pitted (2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 limes
• 1/2 cup almonds with the skin on, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 pint tangy, plain frozen yogurt

Preparation

Step 1

1. Make the tart dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt, pepper and sugar. Add the butter and lemon zest and pulse to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Do no overtax. Overworking the dough will make the texture tough. Pour in the ice water and pulse until the dough forms a loose ball. Remove the dough from the machine and press it between two sheets of wax paper to about 3/4 inch thickness. The more you flatten the dough now, the less work you will have later rolling it. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before rolling.
2. Make the Pastry Cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks with the sugar until it turns pale yellow and you can see the trace of the whisk as it moves through the yolks 5-8 minutes. Add the cornstarch and whip until fully integrated.
3. pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the vanilla beans and seeds. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. With the more on low, pour about half of the milk into the eggs in a slow steady stream; keep the vanilla beans in the saucepan. Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes thick, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, cream, and vanilla. Pour the pastry cream onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and immediately cover it with a layer of plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the cream so that it doesn't form a skin as it cools. Refrigerate until cold.
4. Start the topping: In a medium saucepan, heat 3 cups of the wine and the cinnamon stick. Remove the chiles from the water, opening them up and rinsing out the seeds; discard the soaking liquid and seeds. tear the chile flesh into small pieces and add it to the saucepan along with 4 Tbsp of the brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. When the wine starts to boil, lower the heat and cook gently until the chiles are tender and falling apart and you have about 2 cups liquid remaining, 15-20 minutes. Taste the mixture. It should be earthy with notes from the wine and a little heat from the chiles. If it's a little tart, stir in the remaining tablespoon brown sugar. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing as much of the solids through as you can to give the sauce body. You should have 1-1/4 cups puree.
5. Cook the cherries: Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter, swirling it around until it melts and turns light brown. Quickly add the cherries in a single layer and turn the heat to high. Cook until the cherries sear lightly and release some of their liquid, 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle them with the granulated sugar and add the remaining 1 cup wine and the raisins. Cook over high heat until the red wine loses its alcohol taste, 2-3 minutes. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lime over the cherries. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cool.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Bake the tart shell: Liberally grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Lightly flour a flat surface and roll the dough to a circle a couple of inches larger than the tart pan. Gently roll the tart dough around the rolling pin and unroll it loosely over the tart pan. Ease the dough onto the bottom and against the sides of the pan. Don't stretch the dough or it will shrink when you cook it. Grease the dull side of a sheet of aluminum foil and press it, greased side down, on top of the dough. Fill with dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tart shell from the oven and gently remove the foil and the beans. Return the tart shell to the oven and bake until the dough is light brown and fairly firm to the touch, 10-12 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
8. Assemble the tart: spoon the pastry cream into the tart and top with a light dusting of grated zest from 1 of the limes. Toss the cherries with the red wine sauce and spoon them and some sauce all around the top of the tart. Arrange the golden raisins on top of the cherries, tucking some of them inside the crevices of the cherries. Drizzle with a little more sauce and top with the toasted almonds. Sprinkle with a touch of sugar for texture. Serve with the frozen yogurt on the side topped with a little grated lime zest from the remaining 1/2 lime.