Retro Recipe - Petite Peach Pies

This weeks retro recipe comes from another of my BH and G collection.  I do believe several of my childhood birthday cakes came from this book. 

Now that my chix have flown the coup ( at least temporarily) I rarely make desserts, but this was just too tempting.

Lets see if we can transport ourselves to a "fine french restaurant".

Our assembled ingredients.

OK, I know I said once before that I try to avoid prepared foods, but here I go again,  all my values right out the window for a pretty french tart!

This mess is the gelatin dissolving in water.

Boiling the preserves.

Don't these look like the most gorgeous egg yolks?  They are actually peach halves being drained.

The preserves are spooned over the peach halves.

Zee lovely cherries on top.

Just showing off my mad photography skills.

The recipe with my notes in blue:

Petite Peach Pies

• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 12-ounce jar (1 cup) apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup cream sherry
• 1 1-lb 13-oz can peach halves, well drained ( I could only find peach halves in sugar syrup, so not only did I drain them well but I rinsed them in water first)
• 8 baked 31/2 inch pastry shells
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped (am I the only one with an aversion to whipped cream?)

Soften gelatin in cold water.  Head preserves to boiling; add gelatin; stir to dissolve.  Add sherry.  Cool till slightly thickened.  Place peach half, cut side down, in tart shell.  Spoon preserve mixture over.  Chill.  Serve with whipped cream (or not) and a stemmed maraschino cherry.

So, were we transported to a fine french restaurant as promised?  Not so much.  Was it good kitchy fun? Oui.
Actually I think this would be quite good if one left out the pastry shells all together, and sliced the peaches, added the preserve mixture and spooned the whole thing over vanilla ice cream.  Better. Much better.
If you try this, please let me know how it goes.  Also if you have a retro recipe you'd like me to try, please send it along.
Have a beautiful day.
Yancey