Cherry mince pies

Make pastry in a food processor if you have one. Put flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in the bowl of the processor and add butter. Process quickly until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Pour in egg yolk and water, then process just until the mixture forms large clumps. (If you don’t have a food processor, put flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl and cut the butter through the flour using two metal knives or a pastry cutter, then rub in with the fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the mixed egg yolk and water and mix to a dough.) Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes, just until the dough is firm.

Preheat oven to 190°C fanbake. Roll out pastry and cut into 24 small stars and 24 x 6cm rounds. Gently press pastry rounds into a greased 24-hole tartlet tin (or 2 x 12-hole tins) and chill until firm (chill stars also).

Mix fruit mince, lemon zest and juice, brown sugar, ground almonds and chocolate. Halve and pit cherries. Cut each cherry half in half again and add to bowl of fruit mince. Mix well.

Fill pastry bases with fruit mixture. Put pastry stars on top, then brush stars with beaten egg white. Dust with caster sugar and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.