Puff pastry is a boon for the solo cook. You can keep it frozen, then defrost and cut off enough for just one serving, refreezing the rest. I’ve been known to make my own puff pastry, but Dufour makes such high-quality, all-butter dough that I rarely get my hands dirty with the homemade stuff anymore. (It’s available in many parts of the country, but is not as widely available as puff pastry by Pepperidge Farm, which I like less because it uses shortening.) Now in the middle of winter, when the memory of fresh cherries and other pie fruit is a distant memory, I can combine dried cherries, almonds, and Mulled Wine Syrup (page 6) on a simple piece of puff pastry and bake up a tart that seems like the essence of summer.

　　

Ingredients

1 (4 by 4-inch) square frozen store-bought puff pastry, preferably all-butter (such as Dufour brand), defrosted

　　3 tablespoons unsweetened dried cherries

　　3 teaspoons Mulled Wine Syrup (page 6), made with red wine

　　2 tablespoons sliced almonds

　　2 tablespoons low-fat Greek-style yogurt, whisked smooth

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

On a lightly floured countertop, roll out the puff pastry to about 6 inches square. Pierce the dough every 1/2-inch with a fork; this helps the pastry rise more evenly. Mound the cherries in the center of the dough and drizzle 2 teaspoons of the red wine syrup over them (but not the pastry). Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with water, pull it up, and fold it over to the edges of the cherries, forming pleats so that it cradles the fruit. Scatter the almonds on top.

　　

Step 3

Transfer the tart to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry has puffed and turned golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a dessert plate, drizzle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of red wine syrup, spoon on a dollop of yogurt, and eat.

　　Reprinted with permission from Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One by Joe Yonan. Text copyright © 2011 by Joe Yonan; photographs copyright © 2011 by Ed Anderson. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Joe Yonan is the food and travel editor at the Washington Post, where he writes the award-winning "Cooking for One" column. Joe's work also earned the Post the 2009 and 2010 James Beard Foundation's award for best food section. He is the former travel editor at the Boston Globe. Visit www.joeyonan.com.