Chocolate cherry tart

175 g plain flour
30 g icing sugar
120 g butter, diced
30 g cocoa
5 egg yolks
750 g fresh cherries
3 tbsp cherry brandy or water
3 level tbsp cornflour
60 g sugar
450 ml milk
20 g butter
2 tbsp cherry jam, warmed and sieved
2 tsp gelatine, soaked in 2 tbsp water and dissolved over hot water

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl, rub in the butter, then sift in the cocoa and mix well. Add one of the egg yolks and enough cold water to mix to a dough, then knead lightly.

Roll out the pastry on a sheet of greaseproof paper and line a26-cm loose-bottomed tart tin. The pastry is quite fragile, so if it cracks when lining the tin, just patch it with the trimmings, but make sure that there are no holes.

Chill for at least half an hour. Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, cook for 10 minutes more, then cool on a rack.

Stone the cherries over a bowl to catch the juice and put them into the bowl. Pour on the cherry brandy or water and leave to soak.

Whisk the cornflour, sugar and the remaining four egg yolks together. Heat the milk until hot but not boiling, whisk it into the egg mixture, then return the whole lot to the pan.

Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then simmer for two minutes and beat in the butter. Pour it into the pastry case and let it cool.

Drain the cherries, reserving the juice, and arrange them on top of the tart. In a small bowl, mix the sieved jam with the reserved juices.

Add the dissolved gelatine to the jam mixture and cool in the fridge until it starts to thicken, then spoon it over the cherries, without letting it flood over the sides, and chill until set. (Serves six to eight)