Pear, Ginger & Almond Mince Pies

Makes 12

Ingredients

For the Pastry

• 115g plain flour          
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 75g butter, cubed
• 1 egg yolk plus 1 whole egg

For the Filling

• 1 jar of good quality mincemeat
• 1 pear, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
• 2 balls of stem ginger, finely chopped
• 1tbsp ginger syrup
• 1tbsp vanilla bean paste

For the Topping

• 75g butter
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 75g ground almonds
• 25g plain flour
• 2 tsp spiced rum
• 1 tbsp syrup from the stem ginger jar

 Method

To make the pastry, blitz the flour and icing sugar together until fully combined, add the butter and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and egg, blitzing until a dough is formed. Wrap the pastry in greaseproof paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Once chilled, roll the pastry to 2-3mm thick, using a little flour to prevent the pastry sticking to the surface. Cut 12 9cm circles out and line 12 foil cases or a 12 hole bun tin. Place the lined pastry cases in the refrigerator to chill while making the filling and topping.

To make the filling, mix the mincemeat, pear, ginger, ginger syrup and vanilla bean paste in a bowl and set aside.

To make the topping, cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Fold in the ground almonds and flour. Stir in the rum and ginger syrup.

To make the mince pies up, place a large teaspoon of the filling in the bottom of the lined pastry cases, then place a teaspoon of the almond sponge topping on the top. Place the foil cases or bun tin on a baking sheet.

2 Oven AGA: Place the baking sheet on the grid shelf set on the floor of the Roasting Oven, slide the cold plain shelf on the second set of runners down. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the sponge is golden brown and springy to touch and the pastry is cooked through.

3, 4 and 5 Oven AGA: Place the baking sheet on the grid shelf set on the floor of the Baking Oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the sponge is golden brown and springy to touch and the pastry is cooked through.

By Alexandra Dibble

AGA Rangemaster Group Home Economist