Cherry Cream Cheese Pastry

Yesterday, I was craving some sort of snack, but needed to cook or bake it myself. I just needed that connection to domesticity.

I found frozen puff pastry that had to have been in the freezer for 3 years. I just couldn't bear to throw it away. Now what to do with the pastry. I could make something savory - maybe some spinach appetizer. Then I noticed that can of water packed cherries in the pantry. You know the one. You probably have one, too, a can of cherries so old you have no recollection of buying them. What would I have just one can of cherries anyway? It takes two or three to make a cherry pie.....

Here is the experimental Cherry Cream Cheese Pastry that I made up as I went along. Girls, when you have been cooking for 48 years, you can wing it. This makes approximately 16 turnovers.

Thaw 2 boxes of three year old puff pastry according to directions on box.

Mix about 3/4 cup sugar and 2 T. cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in the juice from the can of water packed cherries to the saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. You may need to add a little more cornstarch mixed with a tiny bit of water if it doesn't thicken as you would like. Then add the cherries, 3/4 t. almond extract, 1 tablespoon butter, and drops of red food coloring to your liking. Stir till blended and cool.

To make the cream cheese mixture, I used 4 oz. light cream cheese mixed with powdered sugar to taste. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut each pastry sheets into 4 equal squares. Put a rounded teaspoon of cream cheese into the center of each sheet. Then put a tablespoon of cherry mixture on half of the pastry sheet near the cream cheese. Now fold over the pastry, point to point and press down the point. No need to seal anything but the point.

Mix an egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush egg mixture over the top of the pastry triangle. Sprinkle sugar over the egg mixture.

Put triangles on Pam sprayed parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes. It is OK if the cheery/cheese mixture oozes out a little. Good stuff.