If this recipe yields too many tarts for one sitting, it is better to half the recipe as they are at their best when still slightly warm. But it should be no problem. They are delicious and small enough to have more than one, two, three ….
Makes 30
45 pitted Marachino cherries, drained thoroughly on kitchen paper (it is available in jars at any supermarket)
150 g/ 5 oz marzipan (make your own)
2 sheets puff pastry (use bought pastry but see recipe to make your own)
½ cup/125 ml almonds, finely chopped
icing sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry to 5 mm/0.2 in thick. Use a 5 cm/2½ in pastry cutter and punch 30 rounds from the rolled pastry. Carefully place each round on the two prepared baking trays and prick each one all over with a fork. Cover them with another sheet of parchment paper, then two more baking trays on top of each baking tray. (If you don’t have enough baking trays, do this in two sessions.) This is to weigh the pastry down preventing them from rising during the cooking. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven. Lift off the extra trays and parchment paper and leave the pastry to cool.
Roll out the marzipan to about 2 mm/0.7 in and punch 30 rounds with pastry cutters slightly smaller than 5 mm/0.2 in and place on top of the cooled pastry discs. Cut each cherry in half and place 5 halves on top of each marzipan disc. Put the trays back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and when they have cooled down slightly, sprinkle over the icing sugar and the chopped almonds.
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