Step 1

For the shortcrust pastryCream the butter with the flour, vanilla seeds and sugar. Mix to a sand like texture. Incorporate the egg yolks, working the mixture until you get a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2

For the creamGrate the peel of 1/2 of a lemon. In a saucepan, heat the milk with the vanilla seeds from another vanilla pod or substitute with vanilla essence. Add the sugar and the lemon zest and cook over low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the flour and cornstarch. Filter the milk and add it to the flour-egg yolk mixture. Pour into the saucepan and cook until you obtain a dense cream. Remove from the heat and let cool, covered with plastic wrap.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 340 °F.

Step 4

For the tartRemove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out a little more than half of the dough to 1/16" thickness. Line the bottom and edges of a tart mold (ø 10") with the dough. Trim with a small knife and prick the bottom with a fork. Distribute around thirty black cherries in the tart shell and fill with the cream.

Step 5

Roll out the the remaining dough to 1/16" thickness and cut into shapes of your choice, or traditional even 1/2" wide strips, depending on how thick you want your lattice strips, and cover the tart almost completely. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar. Top with a few more black cherries.Recipe by Vittoria Pezzuto / Chef Maria Donati