Cranberry-mincemeat pie

We've replaced a time-consuming homemade crust with store-bought puff pastry, to rave reviews. We also added tart cranberries to make this Christmas classic even more festive

By Monda Rosenberg and Victoria Walsh

Preparation time 20 minutes
Baking time 35 minutes
Makes 10 to 12 wedges

Ingredients:

3 clementines
2 baking apples, such as Granny Smith
682-mL or 735-mL jar mincemeat
1 cup (250 mL) frozen cranberries
397-g pkg frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg
Generous pinches of granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) apple jelly (optional)

Nutrients per wedge

5 g protein
26 g fat
72 g carbohydrates
5 g fibre
51 mg calcium
526 calories

Directions:

1. Place rack in bottom third of oven. Preheat to 475°F (250°C). Peel clementines. Separate segments, then coarsely chop. Peel apples, if you wish. Coarsely chop. Place all in a large bowl along with mincemeat and cranberries. Stir to mix.

2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Lightly sprinkle counter with flour and place pastry on top. Dust rolling pin with flour. Roll pastry into a thin circle, about 16 in. (40 cm) wide. Don't worry if it's not perfect. Loosely roll pastry around pin, then unroll over sheet. It will overhang. Mound mincemeat mixture in centre of pastry, leaving a 3-in. (7.5-cm) edge uncovered. Fold pastry over fruit, overlapping in a circular pattern, in one direction. Centre of pie should not be covered. In a bowl, whisk egg with 1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water. Brush over pastry. Don't let it pool. Sprinkle pastry with sugar.

3. Place on bottom rack. Reduce temperature to 375°F (190°C). Bake until pastry is golden, 35 to 45 min. If filling begins to dry out, loosely cover filling with foil for the last 15 min of baking. Remove pie from oven. Melt jelly in the microwave. Brush over filling. Let pie stand 10 min before cutting into wedges. Pie is best warm. If making ahead, store cooled pie, covered and refrigerated, for up to a day.

First published in Chatelaine.com's December 2009 issue