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1
Get out your 12-hole mini muffin pans along with a 2 1/4- inch fluted, round cookie cutter and a 1 3/4- inch star cutter.
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2
Measure the flour into a shallow bowl or dish and, with a teaspoon, dollop little mounds of vegetable shortening into the bowl, add the butter, diced small, shake to cover it, then put in the freezer for 20 minutes.
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3
This is what will make the pastry so flaky and tender.
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4
Mix together the orange juice and salt in a separate small bowl, cover and leave in the refrigerator to chill.
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5
After the 20 minutes, empty the flour and fat into the bowl of your food processor and blitz until youve got a pale pile of cake-like crumbs.
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6
Pour the salted juice down the funnel, pulsing until it looks as if the dough is about to cohere; you want to stop just before it does (even if some orange juice is left).
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7
If all your juice is used up and you need more liquid, add some iced water.
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8
If you prefer to use a freestanding mixer to make the pastry, cut the fats into the flour with the paddle, leaving the bowl in the refrigerator to chill down for the 20-minute flour-and-fat-freezer session.
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9
Add liquid as above.
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10
I often find the pastry uses more liquid in the mixer than the processor.
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11
Turn the mixture out of the processor or mixing bowl onto a pastry board or work surface and, using your hands, combine to a dough.
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12
Then form into 3 discs (youll need to make these in 3 batches, unless youve got enough mini muffin pans to make all 36 pies at once).
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13
Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to rest for 20 minutes.
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14
Preheat the oven to 425F.
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15
Roll out the discs, one at a time, as thinly as you can without exaggerating; in other words, you want a light pastry case, but one sturdy enough to support the dense mincemeat.
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16
This is easy-going dough, so you dont have to pander to it: just get rolling and patch up as you need.
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17
Out of each rolled-out disc cut out circles a little wider than the indentations in the tart tins; I use a fluted cookie cutter for this.
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18
Press these circles gently into the molds and dollop in a scant teaspoon of mincemeat.
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19
Then cut out your stars with your little star-cutterre-rolling the pastry as necessaryand place the tops lightly on the mincemeat.
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20
Put in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes: keep an eye on them as they really dont take long and ovens do vary.
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21
Remove from the oven, prying out the little pies straightaway and letting the empty tin cool down before you start putting in the pastry for the next batch.
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22
Carry on until theyre all done.
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23
Dust over some confectioners sugar by pushing it through a tea strainer, and serve the pies with one of the butters.
