Preheat oven to 400° for the puff pastry

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to form an egg wash; set aside.

2. Place the puff pastry on a clean working space and “crush” the puff slightly it by using a rolling pin to thin it a bit before cutting. This prevents the extreme puff that makes the shapes loose their form.

3. Use your favorite cookie cutter to cut pastry shapes. Arrange them on a baking sheet and brush lightly with egg wash.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden brown. Set aside.

4. Lower the heat to 350°

5. Combine the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until it begins to simmer. Adjust the heat to a low simmer and continue to cook, stirring continuously, until the liquid thickens and the cherries soften.

6. Add the amaretto and stir well.

7. Remove from the heat and pour into a 9 x 9-inch baking dish.

8. Arrange the pastry shapes on top of the cherries and place in the 350° oven for 10 minutes, until the filling is very hot and bubbly and the pastry has soaked up some of the cherry juice.

9. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

10. Serve warm with good-quality vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.