Cranberry Orange And Pear Pies

Lets just take a minute and spare a thought for those of us who don’t like Mince Pies.

Yes, I agree. Crazy people right?

Mince Pies are boozy, packed with raisins and sugar. Just nom. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the humble Mince Pie and Christmas Pud.

But for people like my sister, who have an aversion to that awesome christmas taste, here are some beautiful, festive alternative pies.

Everything about pies are inviting. A pie is never going to be elegant and refined. They’re rustic, bold and best served in a bowl with a dollop of thick cream.

These Pies are packed full of juicy cranberries and orange curd. Tangy with a hint of sweetness encased in crumbly almond pastry.

Perfect, warm, vibrant nibbles for a perfect wintry night in

Ingredients – recipe from Good Food, makes 18 pies

Almond Pastry

• 175g plain flour
• 45g ground almonds
• 70g caster sugar, plus extra to decorate
• 115g butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg, beaten

Cranberry Filling

• 200g cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 25g caster sugar
• 15g cornflour
• 165g orange curd
• 225g just-ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped

Method

Mix the plain flour, ground almonds and sugar in a medium bowl. Add in your cubed butter and begin to rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Continue to do this until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Next add in about half of the egg. You won’t need the whole egg, just enough to bring the pastry into a ball. Keep the rest of the egg for egg washing later.

Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for an hour.

While your pastry is chilling, get the filling ready. Place the cranberries, sugar and cornflour in a saucepan and give it a stir. Place over low heat until the cranberries are soft and the cornflour/sugar have become a pink liquid. Next add in the orange curd and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally so that the mix doesn’t burn. Next add in the pears. Put the pan on medium heat and cook until the filling becomes thick and glossy. Make sure you stir the pan every few minutes, you don’t want burnt filling!

Once ready, place the filling in a bowl and chill in the fridge until ready to assemble the pies.

When you’re ready to make the pies, heat your oven to 190C/170C fan and roll out the pastry on a floured board. Roll it out to about 3mm thick. Using a suitable cutter size, line a bun tin to create the base of the pie.

Next spoon the filling into the centre of each pie to fill nearly to the top. Using the same cutter, cut out the lids to your pies. Take a smaller star cutter and stamp out the middle of the lids. Wet the rims of the pies with your finger, this will allow your lid to stick to the base of the pie. Lay your lid on top of your pie and crimp or press the lid into the base pastry to secure. Brush the top of the pies with the egg you have left and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool slightly in the tin, remove and cool on a cooling rack.