Christmas Mince Pies with Spiced Gold Rum

TOTAL TIME: 1 Hour 30 minutes

SERVES: 24 servings

Fruit Mince Meat Ingredients (To make 2 days ahead)

40g Sultanas

40g Currants

40g Raisins

60g Mixed peel

50g Blanched almonds, chopped

1 Large apple, peeled, grated

200g Brown sugar

40g Butter, melted

2 tbsp TMD Spiced Gold Rum or TMD Spiced Christmas Liqueur

1/2 tsp Grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp Ground cloves

1 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp Grated orange rind, juiced

1/2 tsp Grated Lemon rind, juiced

Pastry Ingredients

300g Plain flour

1/4 tsp Baking powder

185g Unsalted butter, chopped

55g Caster sugar

2 Egg yolks

2 tbsp Lemon juice

1 Egg, lightly beaten

Icing sugar, to dust

Directions

Make fruit mince two days ahead. Chop dried fruit and almonds using a food processor. Combine in a bowl the brown sugar, apple, butter, rum, lemon rind, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, orange and lemon juices. Stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill, stirring regularly, to macerate. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease two 12-hole small, rounded, shallow muffin tins.

To make the pastry, place the flour, sugar and butter in the bowl and mix using a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and lemon juice to bring the ingredients together to form a dough. 

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick. Use a 6.5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 12 discs from the pastry and press into patty pans. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the fruit mince into each pastry case.

Use a 5cm-diameter star-shaped pastry cutter to cut 12 stars from the remaining pastry. Top each pie with pastry stars. Brush with egg white. Bake pies for 20/25 minutes or until golden. Set aside in the pans to cool completely. Dust with a little sifted icing sugar before serving.