These indulgent mince pies with a wonderfully sweet orange pastry are so easy to make.
Mince Pies with Orange Pastry
The orange pastry works perfectly for Christmas and the smell as they’re baking is divine. I don’t make my own mincemeat, although it’s fairly easy, but I buy a jar of pre-made and use a muffin pan for a deep-fill tart.
The recipe for the pastry is a Jamie Oliver one which I’ve simplified further. It’s a case of making the pastry, chilling, and then rolling out and cutting then filling the cases with the best mincemeat you can find.
Ingredients
Jar of sweet mincemeat
250 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
50 g icing sugar
125 g unsalted butter, (cold)
2 drops of orange oil
1 large free-range egg
1 splash of milk
Method
Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Sieve flour and icing sugar into a large mixing bowl.
Chop the butter into cubes, then using your fingertips, gently work it the flour and sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (or pulse in a food processor).
Drop in the oil. Mix again.
Beat the egg with the milk, then add the mixture and gently work it together until it forms a ball of dough. Remember not to work the pastry too much at this stage or it will become elastic and chewy, not crumbly and short.
Sprinkle a little flour over the dough, pat into a flat round about 2.5cm thick, then sprinkle over a little more flour and wrap the dough in clingfilm. Rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Grease a deep bottomed muffin-tin and use pastry cutters to cut bases and lids for the pies.
When you’ve covered all the holes in your 12 hole tin, fill them with mincemeat, be careful not to fill them to the top. I always use Wilton bakeware, when I can, it’s the best. Use beaten egg to wash around the top of the rim and gently place the lid on top and seal. Brush each pie with egg wash.
Hot Mince Pies
Bake for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with fresh cream.
Did you read my post on the Mince Pie Cocktail?
