Mince pie

Mince pies have been eaten as part of a traditional British Christmas since as long ago as the 16th century. Then they were made of meat but are now made with sweet mincemeat, a mixture of dried fruits, sugar, spices and brandy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 350g flour

• Pinch of salt

• 225g butter

• 1 beaten egg + 1 cold water as needed

• 1 jar of mincemeat, shop bought or home made

• 2 tablespoons icing sugar

PREPARATION:

Heat the oven to 200°C
Place the flour, butter and salt into a large bowl.
Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough becoming warm.
Add the egg to the mixture and using a cold knife stir, add cold water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture binds but don't make it too wet that it is sticky.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
Choose a muffin or bun tin for the size of the pie you want.
Dust a work surface lightly with a little flour and roll out two-thirds of the pastry to 3mm thick. Cut circles to line the cups of your tin, don't worry if the pastry doesn't come to the top.
Fill the pastry lined tins 2/3 full with mincemeat.
Roll out the remaining pastry to the same thickness and cut smaller circles to fit as lids on the tarts or to be decorative, cut stars or other fancy shapes.
Dampen the edges of the tart bases with a little cold water and press the lids on. Make a small hole in the surface of each pie with a small sharp knife.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 mins or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the icing sugar.
Serve hot or cold.