Cherry and almond tart

250g short crust pastry*
5 tablespoons double cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
50g cup sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp finely ground blanched almonds
1 tbsp Kirsch
2 tbsp ground blanched almonds
500g fresh ripe cherries
1 tbsp flaked almonds

1. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a 1 pound coin, line a tart tin and prick all over with a fork before placing in the fridge for 20 mins. Pre heat the oven to 180C.

2. When chilled, cover the pastry base with baking paper and a layer of baking beans and bake for 15-20 mins. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 mins. When a golden, biscuit colour, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the cream, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract. Add the sugar, flour, 2 tbsp of the ground almonds and the kirsch. Stir to combine all the ingredients.

4. When the pastry base has cooled, sprinkle over 2 tbsp of the ground almonds and arrange the cherries on top of this is a single layer. Pour over the cream mixture around the cherries. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds and bake for 30-35 mins until the top is puffed up and golden.

(*Adapted from YummySupper.blogspot.co.uk - the original recipes uses an almond biscuit base and sounds delicious! http://yummysupper.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/cherry-almond-tart.html)