Sharing mince pie tart

To make the pastry, add the flour, icing sugar, spices and butter to a food processor. Blitz for 1 minute or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Whisk the egg yolks with the cold water then add to the processor. Blitz again until the pastry comes together; adding a few more drops of cold water, if necessary. Alternatively, add the flour and icing sugar to a bowl then rub in the butter by hand. Add the egg yolks and water and mix until the pastry comes together.

Tip the pastry out onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together to form a ball. Divide in two and flatten into discs. Wrap with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Grease a 20cm x 28cm x 2½cm deep fluted tin with cooking spray. 

Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll the pastry out in a rectangle slightly larger than the tin’s dimensions, approx. ½cm thick. Roll the pastry onto your rolling pin and gently drop into the tin. Press the pastry into the tin and use your thumb to lightly press into the grooves of the tin to form the fluted edges. Evenly prick the base using a fork and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Place a large baking tray in the oven to preheat.

Line the pastry case with baking paper – scrunch it first before opening it out again and fitting it into the pastry shell. Add baking beans (or uncooked rice) and put the tin on the hot baking tray and into the oven for 20 minutes.

Towards the end of the cooking time, take the other disc of pastry out of the fridge to soften slightly. After 20 minutes, lift the paper and beans out of the pastry shell and bake the pastry case for a further 10 minutes, then set it aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, roll out the other pastry on a lightly floured surface to approx. 5mm thick and cut out star shapes using a mixture of different-sized cutters. (Bake any extra stars alongside the tart on a separate lined baking tray to eat as biscuits.)

Zest the orange. Mix the fruit mince with the mixed nuts and orange zest and spoon into the tart case. Arrange the cut-out stars on top and bake the tart for 30-35 minutes or until the shortbread stars are lightly golden.

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Serve the mince pie with the whipped cream and custard.