cherry pot pies
Recipe from 15 Minute Vegan Comfort Food by Katy Beskow (Quadrille, £15) Photography © Dan Jones.
Dark, juicy cherries are sweet, sticky and zesty in these golden pastry-topped pies. Pitted cherries are a useful ingredient to keep in the freezer for fruity pies or for whipping into smoothies when the fruit is out of season. These pies are topped with puff pastry for a rustic taste of home.
Makes 4
1 sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry (ensure dairy-free)
1 tsp soya milk, for glazing
300g (10oz/1¾ cups) frozen or fresh pitted cherries
juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
sprinkle of icing (confectioners’) sugar
Many brands of shop-bought puff pastry use vegetable oils instead of butter, making it accidentally vegan. Always check the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Place four ramekin pots over the pastry and cut around them with a knife.
Place the rounds of pastry onto a non-stick baking tray and brush the tops with a little soya milk. Bake for 10–12 minutes until golden and nicely puffed.
In the meantime, add the cherries, lemon juice and caster sugar to a pan and bring to a bubble over a medium heat, stirring frequently for 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and created a dark sauce.
Spoon the cherries and sticky sauce into the ramekins.
Remove the pastry lids from the oven and carefully place them on top of the cherry filling. Sprinkle over a little icing sugar. Serve hot.
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