CookEat Recipe
Small Marzipan Pastry Pies
Small closed sweet-shortcrust pies filled with almond marzipan and candied orange, baked in individual fluted moulds and dusted with icing sugar.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 290 g plain flour: 270 g for pastry and 20 g reserved for rolling; 135 g icing sugar: 115 g for pastry and 20 g for finishing; 125 g butter: 90 g for pastry, 25 g for filling and 10 g for greasing moulds; 45 g plain rendered lard; 6 egg yolks: 4 for pastry, 1 for filling and 1 kept separate for glaze; Finely grated zest of ½ orange for pastry; 180 g blanched sweet almonds; 150 g caster sugar for filling; 25 g candied orange peel, cut very small; About 45–60 ml water for the filling, added only as needed.
Step 2
Mix 270 g flour with 115 g icing sugar. Cut in 90 g softened butter and the rendered lard, then add four yolks and orange zest. Bring together with as little handling as possible to form a smooth pastry. Flatten, cover and refrigerate for about 30–60 minutes. Keep the filling and glazing yolks separate.
Step 3
Grind the sweet almonds finely with the caster sugar. Work in the finely diced candied orange, 25 g softened butter and one yolk. Add water a tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms a cohesive soft marzipan filling, stopping before it becomes runny. Use sweet almonds throughout; a few optional drops of commercially prepared food-grade bitter-almond flavouring may provide the historical bitter-kernel aroma.
Step 4
Heat the oven to 175°C. Grease 16–18 small brioche or fluted tartlet moulds with the reserved 10 g butter; moulds roughly 5–6 cm across and about 2–3 cm deep are a working guide. Roll the pastry about 2–3 mm thick, using the reserved rolling flour sparingly. Cut enough pastry to line each mould with a small overhang, keeping some dough for lids.
Step 5
Divide the marzipan between the cases, leaving room to close the tops. Fold the pastry edges slightly inward, moisten the rim lightly with water and cover each with a thin pastry lid. Press the seams together. Brush the lids with the final yolk, beaten just enough to spread thinly.
Step 6
Bake for about 20–30 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked through and the centre of a representative filling reaches at least 74°C. Cool for 10 minutes before unmoulding carefully, then let cool on a rack. Dust with the reserved 20 g icing sugar before serving. Keep covered and refrigerated at 4°C or colder and use within 2–3 days.
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