Minced fruit tarts

The delicious filling for these little pies can be made in advance and frozen until you need to use it.

Minced fruit tarts. Credit: Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield

• makes

  12

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry

• 230 g plain flour
• 50 g corn flour
• 100 g icing sugar
• 100 g butter (cold)
• 200 g Greek yoghurt

Fruit mix

• 70 g butter
• 50 g sliced almonds
• 150 g chopped prunes
• 200 g chopped fig
• 70 g brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 100 ml maple syrup
• 1 apple, grated
• 60 g almond meal
• Zest of one orange

Chilling time: about 30 minutes,

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Spray a 12-hole muffin trays (see Note) with oil.
2. For the pastry, place all ingredients, except the butter, in a bowl or food processor. Grate the butter into the mix, blend or mix together with hands. Once ingredients are combined, take 40 cm of baking paper and lay on a flat surface. Divide the mix into 12 balls and place evenly spaced out on the baking paper. Take another 40 cm long piece of baking paper and place it over the top of the pastry.
3. Push down on each ball as hard as you can to get a thin even layer of pastry. Once each ball has been pressed, place tray in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the butter, almonds, prunes, figs and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook on a medium heat. Keep stirring until the butter has melted. Once the butter has melted, add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a further two minutes, then put to the side to cool to room temperature.
5. Next remove the shortcrust from the fridge or freezer and place on a chopping board. Remove the top layer of paper. If any holes appear just push them close with your fingers. Take a paring knife (or use a cookie cutter a little wider than the diameter of the holes in the muffin tin) and cut a circle from each piece of pastry. Place in muffin tin. Push so it fits the sides and tidy up the edges for a cleaner look.
6. Once all the pastry is in place, divide the filling mixture between the pies.
7. Zest some orange over the top of the tarts. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges look brown.

Note

Do not use silicon muffin trays as they are not conductive enough to give a golden brown finish.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.