Food & Drink: Weekend Cook 6

CHERRY STREUSEL Serves six. Total time: 1hr 10min

STREUSEL, AS I understand it, is a cross between a tart and a crumble, a sugary treat you find in downtown bakeries along with pink- iced buns, lardy cake and doughnuts. (Some people say French patisseries are better.) It usually comes with a jammy layer that vaguely resembles what fruit is supposed to be in it: if you want real cherries, you must make it yourself.

Serve this with whipped or clotted cream.

200g/7oz plain flour

110g/4oz ground almonds

110g/4oz caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp

225g/8oz unsalted butter, chilled and diced

40g/11/2oz flaked almonds

40g/11/2oz pine nuts

650g/1lb 6oz cherries, pitted

Icing sugar for dusting

Whipped or clotted cream

Heat the oven to 170oC fan oven or 180oC/350oF/Gas 4. Place plain flour, ground almonds and the 110g/4oz of caster sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and reduce the mixture to crumbs (it's vital the butter is cold, or it will cream into a dough).

As it starts to resemble a crumble, place half mixture in a bowl with the flaked almonds and pine nuts.

Continue to process the remaining mixture until it forms into a smooth pastry dough. Press this into the base of a 23cm/9in cake tin with a removable base.

Scatter the cherries on top and dust with the remaining tablespoon of caster sugar. Scatter the crumble and nut mixture over the top of the cherries.

Bake for 45 minutes until the top is golden and crisp, and the cherry juices have begun to bubble. Remove and allow the tart to cool - then dust with icing sugar.

Annie Bell