This is a modern South African twist on the traditional mince pie, blending naartjies (South African tangerines) with mincemeat in a filo pastry case that’s both quick to make and tasty.
Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time: 15 minutes/Makes: 12
Ingredients:
25g (1oz) olive oil (or melted butter)
150g (5½oz) mincemeat (use one with lots of fruit)
125g (4½oz) ripe or tinned pears, chopped
50g (1¾oz) chopped tangerines
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
5 sheets filo pastry (thawed if frozen)
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 200C (180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6). Brush the cups of a 12-well bun tin with a little oil.
Mix the mincemeat with the pear, satsumas and cornflour in a bowl, stirring until the cornflour has dissolved.
Lay a sheet of filo pastry on the work surface and brush with oil. Place another sheet of filo on top , and brush again. Place a third sheet of filo on top and brush again. Cut the stack of filo into 12 pieces (a pizza wheel is good for this). Press a piece of filo into each well of the bun tin.
Divide the mincemeat mixture equally between the pastry-lined cups.
Butter the remaining sheets of filo separately, and cut each piece into 6. Scrunch up the pieces and put one on top of each mince pie. The more crinkles, the better.
Transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring carefully to a wire rack. These really are best eaten warm from the oven, as they tend to soften when cool.
However, if you have any leftovers, the pies can also be reheated for 5 minutes to crisp up again.
