Cherry is another fruit that we love to eat in the summer. My parents used to have 2 giant cherries at their old house. I still remember my brother and I would pick as much as we could before the birds get to them. There would be so much cherries that we would fill almost every single basket and bucket in the house….Oh, how I miss those good times.  My folks have moved and we no longer have our own cherry trees, but I can make these yummy tarts for them instead !
I always keep a box of puff pastry in the freezer. It’s really handy if you need to make something quick, both sweet and savory. I yet to try making my own puff pastry…. Well, it’s on my list! 🙂

Makes about 10-12 tarts

• 200 g pitted fresh cherries
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 box puff pastry (about 400 g)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• vanilla sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling
• Icing sugar for dusting

1. To prepare the fillings, heat cherries, 3 tablespoons of sugar and lemon juice in a non-stick pot over medium heat
2. Turn heat down to low when liquid starts to bubble
3. Cook until cherries softened, set aside to cool
4. To make the puff pastry, preheat oven to 350°F
5. Roll out pastry on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch in thickness
6. Cut with a round cookie cutter into circles, about 2-3 inches in diameter
7. Place half the number of circles on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
8. Dork with a fork, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated or vanilla sugar 
9. Cut out the centres of the other circles using a smaller cookie cutter, (or a bottle cap would work too) to form rings
10. Place rings on top of the circles
11. Brush ring tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (You can collect all the dough scrapes and re-roll, but only do it once, otherwise it will lose its puffiness)
12. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden, let cool
13. Spoon in cherry fillings, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately