… it’s that really odd period between Christmas and New Year that doesn’t quite have its own home… don’t get me wrong, The Viking and I are having some much needed time off and we’re loving this lull but we’re really bad at relaxing if we’re not on an actual holiday… so far we’ve cleared out the loft, thrown away a huge amount of what can only be described as stuff, re-arranged the garage and even started on the garden shed… i’ve given the kitchen a mini Spring-clean too and this has all been punctuated by huge amounts of food, wine and game playing… some would say we’re mad but to us, this is our idea of heaven.
little apple, marmalade and cinnamon pies
just because I wanted something a little fresher and cleaner than your average mince pie but I wasn’t quite ready to give up Christmas just yet… the apples are cut into teeny pieces so they go in raw mixed with one of those ‘hotel’ pots of marmalade and a squeeze of clementine juice… but the real reason i’m making them is to give this stunning pastry one last outing before the new year. I urge you to give this pastry a go. It is by far the best sweet shortcrust I have ever baked or ever eaten and everyone who tries it tells me so. I cannot claim the recipe for my own, it originates from Dan Lepard’s brilliant Short and Sweet which i’ve adapted slightly over the years… just find an excuse to make it, that’s all…
for the almond and cream cheese pastry
the finely grated zest of a clementine
for the filling
2 medium apples – peeled, cored and finely diced
1 mini jar of marmalade (42g)
the finely grated zest and juice of a clementine
1 tablespoon runny honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
start with the pastry – sift the flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl, add the butter and rub until it resembles breadcrumbs – add the cream cheese, ground almonds, grated clementine and egg yolk, take a knife and mix until it comes together into a dough, you may need to add a little milk here, as I did. – chill the dough for at least 30 mins
once you’ve peeled, cored and chopped the apples, place them in a bowl along with the marmalade, honey, cinnamon, clementine juice and zest and mix them all together
pre-heat the oven 170C
roll out your pastry with plenty of flour on your work surface and then cut out circles large enough to fit into your deep muffin tins
place a generous amount of filling in each and then cut smaller circles of pastry to create lids which you can place on top and seal with the handle of a spoon or knife
bake for 20 mins or until golden brown, then allow to cool before dusting with plenty of icing sugar
eat and of course, enjoy!
AMAZING! I love a good pie, whether is be sweet or savoury and these look so light and delectable Dom, I'd be tempted to hop on a plane just in time to see you at teatime for a plate of these! Happy New Year darlink! Karen xxx
These look absolutely wonderful! I'm always looking for an alternative to mince pies that still feel festive – I'm not a big fan of mincemeat so something like this is perfect for me!
Oh! I haven't been here in so long! And THIS is what I show for! Sweet treats, these little apple tarts! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Dom!
What more could one want in a lovely tart? Happy New Year to you and The Viking!!
Best,
Bonnie
They're so cute.
Happy New year, Dom
Thanks K. Happy New Year honey xx
Just how I felt about them. They're very light but still festive x
Ahh welcome back. Glad you like them. Happy New Year xxx
Thanks Bonnie. Happy New Year to you too xx
Thanks Manu. All gone! Happy New Year xx
I am reading this in Florida and it is making me want to break into my sister's larder and pan drawer and make this. Looks.So.Good. As always 😉 Looks like a great tweak of a Dan Lepard recipe (love him). Have you mentioned him in a tweet? He is so friendly and nearly always comments back. Happy New Year to you and The Viking.
I do love a nice apple pie and the hit of orangey marmalade alongside cinnamon sounds absolutely lovely.
Interesting that the pastry has cream cheese in it….. I'm thinking that may work really well in my GF almond pastry!
These look wonderful and the pastry sounds delicious.
I must confess I haven't opened my copy of “Short and Sweet” since the nasty Whitehousegate experience of a few years ago. Perhaps now is the time to break the spell and explore its contents again! I'm not sure I would risk blogging a Dan Lepard recipe again, no matter how good I thought it was, how much I felt the whole world should know about it and how much I had tweaked it. That's probably why I never use the book ………
Wishing you a happy, healthy and peaceful new year!