Cherry-Almond Streusel Tart

Christmas 2025. All four children home, which required coordination that took three weeks but which we managed. Ethan closed Table for four days. Mason flew from New York. Olivia drove down from her college apartment. Noah was already home, obviously, and had been preparing with the seriousness he brings to things he cares about.

On Christmas Eve I stood in the kitchen at four in the afternoon and looked around at what was happening: Ethan and Mia (who has become as much a part of Christmas as anyone) working on the tenderloin. Mason doing the sauce from scratch. Olivia making the salad with the late-season citrus she'd found. Noah making the rolls — his rolls now, fully his, better than Mason's at this point and he knows it and Mason accepts it with the equanimity of someone who respects competence above loyalty.

Four children in my kitchen. My kitchen that has held all of them for two decades. The smell of it that evening — wine reducing, butter browning, Gary's instrumental Christmas playlist in the background, the light in exactly the right place as it always is in December at five p.m. when the sun is low and everything is gold — I stood in the doorway for thirty seconds and felt the whole thing.

This is what feeding people means. This kitchen. These people. This extraordinary ordinary life.

That Christmas Eve, after the tenderloin and the sauce and Noah’s rolls, we needed something that could hold its own at the end of a meal that had already felt complete — something worth saving room for. I’d made this Cherry-Almond Streusel Tart the day before so it could rest overnight, and when we finally cut into it at the table with all eight of us crowded around, Mia said it looked like something from a bakery window. That’s the one you want to end a night like that on: the kind of thing that makes people pause before they take a bite, because they know once they start, the evening is almost over.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2–3 tablespoons ice water
For the cherry filling:
3 cups pitted cherries, fresh or thawed frozen
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the almond streusel topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

Make the crust. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add cold butter and work it in with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing just until the dough comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat and prepare the pan. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch circle and press it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim any overhang and prick the bottom several times with a fork. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
Make the cherry filling. Combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, almond extract, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir gently until the cherries are evenly coated. Pour the filling into the prepared tart shell and spread evenly.
Make the streusel topping. Combine flour, brown sugar, sliced almonds, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add cold butter pieces and work in with your fingers until the mixture clumps into a rough, crumbly topping. Scatter evenly over the cherry filling.
Bake the tart. Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the streusel is deep golden and the cherry filling is bubbling around the edges. If the topping browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Cool before serving. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan. The filling will set as it cools. Serve at room temperature, optionally with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cherry-Almond Streusel Tart — The Sweetness We Made Together