Mince Pie Tartlets with Pork

Ingredients

• 400 g white granulated sugar
• 300 ml wine
• 250 ml cider
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• ¼ teaspoon ground mace
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 kg fruit mince mixture
• 800 g cored and sliced apples (from about 12 large apples)s
• 2 packets shortcrust pastry dough
• 1 kg lean pork mince
• 100 g butter

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150 °C (300 °F).
2. In a pot, bring the sugar, wine, cider, orange, and lemon juice to a simmer. Add mace, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Split the vanilla pod and scrape seeds into pot. Discard vanilla pod.
3. Stir in sliced apples and fruit mix.
4. Grease the muffin tins, and line with pastry dough to make tartlet cases. Trim to fit.
5. Place cases into oven, and bake until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
6. Melt butter in a pan. Add minced pork, and sauté until browned.
7. Remove cinnamon stick from the fruit mixture, and mix in the pork.
8. Using a tablespoon, fill tartlet cases with the filling—it will probably be mounded.
9. If desired, trim with excess pastry.
10. Bake each tray at 120 °C (250 °F) for half an hour.