102. Cherry pies (American recipe like at McDonald's)

There's no McDonald's in our town! Yes, that's the cry from the heart I want to open today's recipe with. Of course, I'm far more upset that Izhevsk has no Starbucks or IKEA, but it's a shame all the same — 600,000 people miss out every day on a chance to eat a "signature" cherry pie from McDonald's. This time I'll try to put that right and share a recipe for puff-pastry pies with pieces of cherry, with a filling "à la McDonald's" but made from natural ingredients.

Interested? Recipe and photos under the cut.

Cooking time ≈ 1 hour.

Ingredients:

• 500 g puff pastry (non-yeast)
• 500 g frozen cherries (fresh will do too, more on that below)
• 5–7 tablespoons of sugar (depends how sweet the cherries are)
• 1–3 tablespoons of starch (depends how thick you want the filling)
• 1 egg

Defrost the cherries. Cut them into pieces and mix with the sugar and starch. If you took fresh cherries, add a little water.

Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly but not letting it boil. When the mixture thickens, cool it to room temperature.

Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into pieces. Lay them on baking paper.

Whisk the egg with a little water. Brush the edges of the future pastries.

Put the filling in the centre of each.

Seal the edges and press them with a fork so the pastry doesn't come apart.

Brush the tops with the egg mixture and bake in an oven heated to 210°C until the pastry browns (≈ 15 minutes).

Bon appétit!