Make the puff pastry and chill at least 30
minutes. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, stir in the
sugar, and heat gently, stirring occasionally, for about 1
minute.
Add the cherries and sauté over high heat 1
minute. Add the red currant jelly and stir until dissolved.
Simmer until the cherries are almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
Flambé the cherries. Warm the Cognac in a small saucepan, and
then stand back and set it alight. Pour it, flaming, over the
cherries and baste them until the flames die. Set them aside.
Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Put the serving
bowls on a baking sheet and heat then in the oven. Roll the puff
pastry dough to about 1/8-in/3-mm thickness and cut out 4 round,
each 2 in/5 cm larger in diameter than the bowls. Chill the
round on a baking sheet in the freezer until firm, 5 to 10
minutes. Brush the chilled dough rounds with egg glaze.
Remove the bowls from the oven. Heat the
cherries just to a boil and spoon them into the hot serving
bowls. Brush the outside rim of the bowls generously with egg
glaze. Lay a round of dough over each bowl and shape it to the
bowl, pressing to seal the edges with the glaze. Work quickly so
the dough does not soften from the heat.
Bake the cherries until the pastry is puffed
and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes; the steam from the hot
cherries will puff it to a tall some. If necessary, trim any
ragged bits of puff pastry with a knife to neaten the edges.
Serve the cherries at once with scoops of vanilla ice cream in a
separate bowl. A delicious steam will be released at the table
when the pastry is broken.
This Recipe of the Month
selection comes from Anne Willan's newest release: Anne
Willan From My Château Kitchen (Clarkson Potter/Publishers.
April 2000)
www.randomhouse.com
