DELUXE MINCE PIES & CORNISH CLOTTED CREAM

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 190C and grease two standard bun tins.

Place the flour into a large mixing bowl and rub in the cubed butter, using your fingertips, until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the icing sugar and orange rind and stir well.

Bind the mixture together with the orange juice, so it forms a soft dough. Wrap in greaseproof or reusable wrap and chill for at least half an hour.

While the pastry is chilling, mix together the cream cheese and caster sugar in a bowl until combined.

Roll out pastry onto a floured surface to about 5mm thick. Cut out larger rounds for the pie bases and slightly smaller ones for the lids, until all the pastry is used up and you have an even number of each.

Lay the bases in the greased tin and fill with 1 heaped tsp of mincemeat, followed by half a tsp of the cream cheese mixture.

Once filled, top with the pastry lids, pressing firmly around the edges to ensure the pies are sealed.

Use a pastry brush to glaze the pies with a little milk and use a sharp knife to make a small slit in the top of each pie, to allow steam to escape during cooking.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until just starting to brown. Once cooked, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream.