Fruit Mince Pies

CRUST:

Use your trusty shortcrust recipe – or for easier preparation use frozen raw pastry (optional gluten-free) and thaw before use.

FRUIT MINCE:

5 Green apples, chopped into small cubes

½ cup Morlife Inca Berries

1/3 cup Morlife Cranberries

1/3 cup Morlife Naked Ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Orange zest from ½ orange

Juice from 1 orange

¼ cup Morlife Pomegranate Juice

1 tsp Vanilla bean paste

1 tbs Morlife Chia Seeds

1) Pre-heat oven to 180°C.

2) Grease 10 small tart tins (or muffin tin) with butter.

3) Combine all ingredients for the fruit filling in a large pot and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add ½ cup of water, reduce heat and simmer on very low heat for at least 30 minutes with the lid on. Once cooked, add 1 tbs chia seeds.

4) Mince should be relatively thick but still juicy so that it does not dry out during baking – if not thick enough add a small amount of corn flour once slightly cooled.

5) Meanwhile, roll pastry out to 2cm thick and cut into circles, press pastry circles in greased tart tins, leaving a small amount (2cm) hanging over the edge to allow for pastry shrinkage during baking. Reserve 1/3 of the pastry for the star toppers.

6) Cut baking paper into squares and place over pastry, fill with baking beans (or raw rice) and blind-bake for 8 minutes. Remove paper and beans/rice and bake for a further 10 minutes until lightly golden but still undercooked.

7) Add fruit mince filling to pastry cases. Using a star shaped cookie cutter, cut out stars from pastry and put on top of filling, lightly pressing them into the fruit. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the stars are lightly golden. Keep stored in the refrigerator.