Cherry tart

Serves 4

This is a really simple tart to knock up for a dinner party and you can get all of the elements ready well beforehand and just assemble it and make the topping sauce just before you serve it.

250-300g cherries, stoned
40g flaked almonds
200g butter puff pastry, rolled to one-third of a centimetre thick

For the topping

2 egg yolks
60g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.

Cut the puff pastry into 5-6cm x 10cm rectangles, docking them with a fork to prevent the pastry rising too much, and place on a baking tray. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes until lightly coloured and remove from the oven.

Blend one-third of the cherries in a food processor to a coarse purée with the almonds and spread on to the pastry. Arrange the rest of the cherries on top.

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk until it trebles in volume and is thick and fluffy.

Return the tarts to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through, then transfer to serving plates and spoon the sauce over.