Cherry Tart: Crostatta Di Ciliege

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup superfine sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
1 lemon, zested
2 sticks chilled sweet butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup cold vin santo, plus a bottle for your friends
2 cups red cherry jam
2 or 3 turns of the peppermill

Add the flour, sugar, salt and zest to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse 2 to 3 times. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks together with the cold vin santo. With the machine running, add the egg/vin santo mixture to the dough through the feed tube. Process 5 to 6 seconds or until a mass forms and leaves the sides of the bowl. Permit the pastry to rest for 30 minutes, wrapped securely in plastic, in a cool place.

Thin the cherry jam a bit with a little hot water, stirring well to combine. Add a few grindings of pepper to heighten the flavor of the cherries and stir again. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll out the dough in a free-form circle of about 12 inches, and transfer it to a buttered baking sheet or a sheet lined with parchment. Leaving a 2-inch border uncovered, spread the cherry mixture over the dough, folding, pleating, and tucking the border of the dough up over the fruit.

Bake the tart for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is deeply golden and the fruit is glossy. Cool on a rack for several minutes and serve warm with a glass of the vin santo.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings