2 punnets of fresh cherries, stoned OR if you are struggling to find fresh cherries, 1 cup of normal bottled maraschino cherries and 1 cup of dark kirsch bottled cherries. DO NOT USE GLACÉ CHERRIES.
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
6 tbs of ground almonds
12 tbs of flaked almonds
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure almond extract

For the Pastry:

1 cup salted butter, chilled in the fridge and cut up into small pieces
1/4 cup of fine caster sugar
2 cups of plain home baking flour
1 large egg, beaten
5 tbs of iced water

For the finish egg wash:

2 eggs and 3 tbs of milk beaten together.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar, mixing it all together. Now using just your fingertips, crumble and combine in the butter until you have a mixture that looks like large breadcrumbs. Don’t overwork it at this stage.

Now add the egg and the water, again working this mixture through gently, bringing it all together, by pressing everything together as opposed to kneading it to form a dough. When it has all come together, wrap it up in cling film and let it chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Halve the amount of cherries. Chop some into small quarters and the other portion, into halves.

Add the almond extract and the brown sugar to this and some of the syrup from the kirsch cherries. Or 1 tbs of kirsch liquer if you are using fresh cherries. Combine and set aside.

Roll out a 6 inch circle of pastry for lining the base of the tin. I use a 6 inch round cutter. As the pastry comes up the sides , press it gently into the sides and trim off the excess, leaving you with a neatly lined tart tin. I use a trick where I press the flat of my hand onto the edges of the tin and this leaves a clean finish, allowing you to peel away the excess.

Sprinkle 1 tbs of ground almond into each tart tin.

Then sprinkle 1 tbs of flaked almonds.

Add approximately 2 tbs of the cherry filling, distributing the bigger and small cherry pieces evenly.

Sprinkle 1 more tbs of flaked almonds.

Cut very neat 6 1/4 inch strips of pastry, three to go across and three in another direction, 6 for each pie. Place these on the pies as shown in the picture.

Brush each pie with the egg wash.

Bake your pies for approximately 25 minutes or just as they are beginning to turn golden.

Devour immediately with a lashing of some thick double cream. Mmmm…