My kids are not very picky eaters, but they do have a list of foods they don’t fancy. So I’m constantly trying to figure out ways to have those foods re-introduced to them, and hopefully they’ll take a liking.

Today’s post will be me tackling this particular food: cherries

My kids dislike berries of any kind. Strawberries. Blueberries. Raspberries. Blackberries. Do cherries count? Anyway, I suspect this is because the kind that gets supplied to the household tends to have a more tangy and sour than the sweet. So it’s no surprise they don’t fancy berries.

Since I had some leftover puff pastry and cherries sitting in the fridge, I decided to make cherry pastry pie. Flaky and crispy on the outside, soft and mushy on the inside. They’ll like them, right? Never try, never know, so this is me trying. If all else fails, then more for me!

Preparing the filling

I started by reducing 250g of cherries over medium to low heat, added 1/2 cup of sugar (next time I might halve it or skip sugar altogether) and 1 tsp of salt. If you want, you can add lemon juice; I didn’t have any on hand so I just skipped it.

Once it starts to boil – stir occasionally – add some cornstarch mixed with a little water (about 1 tbsp of cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp of water), then let simmer. The cornstarch helps to thicken the mixture. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp of vanilla essence. Let it cool while you prepare the pastry puffs.

Preparing the puff

Line baking tray with paper, cut out pastry puff and place on tray. Spoon in the cooled filling and wrap up the puff. Close off the edges with a fork, pressing it down lightly. Knife the middle of the cherry puff, then egg wash all over.

Bake at 190C for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Eat ‘em hot!! Okay fine, warm.

Verdict: Kids and everyone else loved it! Pies were gone the next day. Success!!

Excellent substitutes: berries of any kind, apple, banana, etc. Don’t think I would be buying McDonald’s pies so often anymore.