Pitting cherries is messy business! Thank goodness they make this handy tool to get the pits out - but not all cherries are created equal when it comes to pitting. The most commonly used cherry in desserts is the Bing Cherry, which I love for its juicy sweet/tart taste. It has a dark and bloody juice that gets everywhere - so before you pit cherries, have a lot of paper towels handy and be prepared for stained hands. The Rainier cherry, which is easier to pit, is best eaten as is or used in salads.
I decided to make a Cherry Frangipane Tart from the Joy of Baking website. The recipe can be found here.
Making the frangipane was cool - I didn't have almond flour, but you can substitute blanched slivered almonds ground in the food processor with 1 T. flour. It has a wonderful marzipan-like flavor and great texture.
The only think I would change is to add more cherries next time - they kind of shrink during the baking process. But otherwise, delicious and the crust is great!
