This is a stunner of a tart. It's a bit like unbaked cheesecake, which probably explains why I like it so much. Still, I promise this is different from my Cherry Cheesecake. It's darker, richer and spicier.

In a lot of ways, I suppose this is quite a dark and sinister dessert. Your hands get stained blood-red when you pit and halve the cherries. It seems to 'bleed' redcurrant glaze when you cut it. And, of course, there's mascarpone (this may or may not be the way I remember how to spell it...).

Ingredients & Instructions

For the crust:

• 1 batch of gingernuts
• 30g butter

Preheat the oven to 170C/350F. Break the gingernuts up roughly, then put in a food processor and blend until fine. Melt the butter, then pour into the processor. Blend again until all the crumbs are coated. Tip into a 20cm tart tin with removable base. Use a measuring jug or similar to press the crumbs down and into the sides firmly. Place in the oven for about 8 minutes or until slightly darker. Cool on a wire rack.

For the redcurrant glaze:

• 60g redcurrants
• 40g brown sugar
• 1 tsp stem ginger syrup
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 20ml water

Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Heat at a medium temperature for until bubbling, then reduce to low for five minutes or so, slightly squishing the currants. Leave to cool, then pass through a fine sieve.

For the filling:

• 200g mascarpone
• 150g cream cheese
• 30g caster sugar
• zest of half a lemon
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat together marscarpone and cream cheese, then beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Finally beat in the sugar and lemon zest. Spread over the cooled base and put in the fridge while you fiddle with the cherries.

To assemble:

• couple of handfuls of black cherries

Pit and halve the cherries. Toss them in a few tbsps of the redcurrant glaze. Take the tart out of the fridge and top the filling with the cherries.