To make the mincemeat, chop up the larger dried fruits (like whole figs and apricots) into roughly ½-inch pieces. Transfer all the dried fruit into a pot, and add the candied ginger, apple, orange juice and zest, port, butter, sugar, salt and all the spices. Bring this up to a boil, then turn the heat down to a low simmer, and let it cook for 30-40 minutes, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated. Then, add in the brandy or cognac, and let it cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight jar or container. The mincemeat keeps well for up to a month in the refrigerator. I like keeping them for at least a week before using it as the flavour will deepen and develop a bit more, but it works fresh too!

Now onto the pie dough. Start by mixing the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Then, toss the cubes of butter in the flour and pinch each butter cube flat with your fingers. Add in the cold water, and quickly knead it into the butter and flour until a rough ball of dough forms. Place the dough on a well-floured flat surface, sprinkle more flour on top, and roll the dough out into a rough 10 x 15 inch rectangle. Fold the two shorter sides into the middle so the edges meet, then fold it in half lengthwise. If not using immediately, wrap the dough in plastic and store it in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough if you’re keeping it over many days or weeks, just make sure to defrost it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before using it.

When you’re ready to roll out the mince pie, take the pie dough out of the refrigerator, and roll it out until it is 1-inch larger than your tart mould all around, and about 1/8-inch (3-4mm) thick. Lift up the dough with a rolling pin, and lay it into the tart mould. Make sure the dough is nestled into the edges nicely (it might help if you lift up each side of the dough as you nestle it in), and then trim away the excess dough.

Heat your oven to 190°C. Then, put baking paper or aluminium foil over your tart shell, and weigh it down with baking beans or weights. Blind bake the tart shell in the oven for 15-20 minutes, removing the beans halfway through, and stop baking when the tart shell turns the lightest shade of brown.

Remove the tart from the oven, and add in the mincemeat filling, pressing it down so the top surface is flat. Bake the now-filled tart in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes, or longer until the crust is golden all the way through.

When the tart is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool down for roughly 20 minutes on a wire rack before removing it from the tart mould.

Right before serving, dust a flurry of icing sugar on top. (You can cover it with a stencil or leaves like I did here to give it a more festive look.) Then slice and serve! The tart keeps well for up to a week in an airtight container. If you’re saving them for later, pop them into the oven for 5 minutes to warm up right before serving.

Have a very merry Christmas!