Remove the pits and stems from the cherries, or thaw frozen cherries and drain. Put cherries in a large bowl with 1 cup sugar and mix. Let sit for 1 hour until the cherries start releasing their juices.
Have your tart dough prepared and pressed into the tart pan, ready to go. Roll it out wide enough to fit your tart pan. Roll it back onto the rolling pin to help place in the tart pan. Press dough into the pan and patch and holes or cracks as needed.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Freeze the tart pan with the dough in it for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the freezer. Place foil over the tart dough and pour pie weights or dry beans on top. (I have used garden rocks in a pinch!)
Blind bake (baking without the filling) like this for 20 minutes.
While the crust is cooking, when cherries have set for an hour, strain the juice from the cherries and put the cherries back in the large bowl. Add ¼ cup of the juice you strained off of the cherries back to the bowl. Discard the rest or use for drinks and cocktails.
To the cherries, add the lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, and almond extract. Add a pinch of salt. Stir together until combined.
Remove the tart shell from the oven and remove the pie weights and foil from the pan.
Pour the cherries into the tart crust.
Place the tart back in the oven and continue cooking until the juice are bubbling, approximately 25 minutes. If the crust edges are getting too dark, you can place tin foil along the edges or use a pie crust guard.
Let the tart cool and the juices thicken for 2 hours before serving.