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pear & almond crumble mince pies
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Pear & Almond Crumble Mince Pies

A batch of classic mince pies, with a pear & almond crumble baked on top instead of a lid! Serve these warm, with custard & you're in for a real festive treat.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: British, English
Servings: 12 Mince Pies
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • 12 Hole Muffin Tin
  • Saucepan
  • Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

Almond Pastry

  • 220 g Plain Flour
  • 50 g Icing Sugar
  • 30 g Ground Almonds
  • ½ tsp Table Salt
  • 1 Orange (Zested)
  • 140 g Unsalted Butter (Chilled)
  • 35 g Egg Yolks
  • ½ tsp Almond Extract

Almond Crumble Topping

  • 40 Plain Flour
  • 15 g Ground Almonds
  • ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
  • A Pinch Of Table Salt
  • 40 g Unsalted Butter (Chilled & Diced)
  • 20 g Porridge Oats
  • 20 g Demerara Sugar
  • 20 g Caster Sugar
  • 15 g Flaked Almonds

Vanilla Pears

  • 4 Conference Pears
  • 20 g Unsalted Butter
  • 40 g Caster Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
  • A Pinch Of Salt (Or Use Salted Butter)
  • 2 tsp Cornflour
  • 2 tsp Cold Water

Filling

  • 300 g Mincemeat

Instructions

Almond Pastry

  • Sift the flour & icing sugar into a large mixing bowl then add in the ground almonds, salt & orange zest.
  • Cut the butter into small pieces, add into the flour, then rub in with your fingers until the mix resembles breadcrumbs with some large pieces of butter still visible.
  • Add the egg yolks & almond extract into the flour then mix with your hands until the pastry starts to come together. Tip out onto a clean work surface & gently knead until you have a smooth dough (be careful not to overwork).
  • Flatten the pastry into a disc, wrap in clingfilm & refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Almond Crumble Topping

  • Place the plain flour, ground almonds, ginger & salt into a mixing bowl then whisk to combine. Add in the butter then rub in with your hands, until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
  • Next, stir in the oats, both sugars & flaked almonds then squeeze the mix together to form small clumps. If the pieces are too big, break them up with your fingers.
  • Place the crumble mix into the fridge & leave to chill whilst you make the filling.

Vanilla Pears

  • Peel, quarter & core the pears then chop into 1 cm chunks. Add the pears into a small saucepan with the butter, sugar, vanilla & salt then set over a medium heat.
  • Cook the pears, stirring frequently until they're soft but still holding their shape. This will take 5 minutes or so.
  • Next, add the cornflour & cold water into a mixing bowl then stir to make a paste. Stir this into the pears then cook out for 1-2 minutes, until thick.
  • Transfer the cooked pears to a bowl, leave to cool then refrigerate until completely cold.

Rolling Out The Pastry

  • Take the pastry out of the fridge & leave to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
    This makes the pastry more pliable.
  • Brush a 12 hole muffin tray with melted butter then set aside.
  • Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 3 mm then cut out 12 circles using a 9½ cm cutter.
    Gently knead together the pastry trimmings & re roll if necessary.
  • Gently press the circles of pastry into the muffin tray, making sure that the pastry reaches the top of each hole then place the tray in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Assembly & Baking

  • Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f). Place a large baking tray in the oven at same time.
    Baking the pies on a preheated tray helps crisp up the pastry on the bottom of each pie.
  • Spoon an equal amount of mincemeat into the bottom of each pie, followed by an equal amount of the pears.
  • Sprinkle a generous amount of crumble topping on top of each mince pie then carefully place the tin onto the preheated tray & bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry & crumble topping are both golden brown.
  • Once cooked, let the mince pies cool in the tin for 15 minutes or so then use a palette knife to lift the pies out of the tin & onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool then serve!

Notes

1. Cooking On An Aga - Cook the pears on the simmering plate. Bake the mince pies in the baking oven, on the second from bottom set of runners.
2. Mincemeat - I used my homemade brown butter mincemeat for these mince pies but a good shop bought one will work as well.
3. Making In Advance - The pastry, pears & crumble topping can be made up to 2 days in advance & stored in the fridge.
4. Storage - If you're not serving your mince pies straight away, they'll need to be stored in the fridge (because of the pears) & will keep for up to 3 days. The pies can be served cold but are best served warm or at room temperature.