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.