Cherry “Pop-Tart” Pastries – 2022 Red Carpet Menu for Oscar®!
It’s the 2022 Red Carpet Menu for Oscar®! For King Richard, it’s Bing Richtart!
We continue along the desserts for our Mid-Century Dinner Party!
Tennis. It was a big part of my childhood but not for reasons you’d guess. Ya see, back in the housewife days of the 1970’s Bronx, ladies looked for hobbies or activities outside their homes especially when the kids were old enough to go to school all day. My godmother, Aunt Vivian, and her best friend who lived around the corner, RoRo Bevilaqua, decided to take tennis lessons and invited my mother. They soon gave it up but my mother found her thing. She LOVED it! When we weren’t in school on weekdays, we had to go to the tennis club and stay in the kid room watching TV while she played a game, took a lesson, etc. We were not happy but we were the kids so tough luck on us. And she deserved to have her thing! It’s not like taking care of us filled every facet of her personality, which would really have been too much pressure for any kid. And it was fun to see her as a “person” and not our mom.
Did she encourage us to play? You bet! But none of us really cared. I preferred the faster pace paddleball if I was going to do anything. I wasn’t much of an athlete (or an athlete in any definition – ha). My household had tennis on TV frequently so we all knew what was happening at the top of the game. My father was never getting on a court, but he liked sports in general and was up on winners and losers in various tournaments. So they had fun with it. She never stopped playing and never stopped loving it. I remember when the Williams sisters took the game by storm. My mom was into watching what they’d wear and how they played. So this movie already had a warm space in my heart. Take away my history, it was simply excellent. It wasn’t what I expect it to be, thinking it would be focused on their rise to fame and the girls. But it was focused on the Herculean efforts of their dad to be the fuel to their spectacular excellence. I saw it as a love letter to dads who encourage their daughters no matter the perceived limits.
Coming up with this dessert took a second and seems like a stretch. The only connection is the POP/dad but I also loved toaster pastries growing up and anything to do with cooking and the kitchen is all about my dad (yes my mom too). And it worked! They found the sundae of success with the cherry on top! And these pastries are certainly that.
I love pies – hand pies are even more exciting! An easy crust, fabulous filling, quick bake, and the icing… ta da!!!!!!!!! Of course you can switch up the filling and make them whatever flavor you like. You can bet I will be making lots of variations!!!!
Thanks to the determination of King Richard, the Williams family found the sundae of success with the cherry on top! And these pastries are certainly that.
Happy Oscars!
Annette
Cherry "Pop-Tart" Pastries
Ingredients
The Pastry:
- 2 cup flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup butter cold, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1-1/2 tbsp ice water
- 1-1/2 cup cherry preserves
- 1-1/2 tbsp cornstarch
The Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the dough, combine the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and blend until it forms a crumbly consistency. Slowly add 1/2 cup water and mix until it starts to form a dough. Gather it into a ball and place in plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- To prepare filling, whisk cornstarch and remaining water in a small saucepan until smooth. Add preserves and heat on medium until it boils. Lower heat and simmer, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- When the dough is ready, place on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a rectangle about 1/8” thick. Cut into even rectangles about 3” x 4” each. Depending on your work space, you may want to split the dough and work in 2 batches.
- Add filling to the center of half the rectangles, leaving 1/4” clean around the edges. Place the uncoated rectangles on top of those with filling and press down on the edges to seal the dough. Using a fork, press around the edges. Then poke holes in the top to let steam escape.
- Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden. Let cool.
- Prepare icing by combining confectioner’s sugar, water, and vanilla. If too runny, add a bit more sugar. Drizzle on top of the pop tarts as you like. Let dry and serve.
