Flaky fun with a merry twist

What makes this dish so special?

“This recipe is a wonderful way to use up any leftover mincemeat from Christmas, and it can be made as an alternative to classic mince pies. The elements are pretty much the same (mincemeat and pastry), but here I’ve used filo pastry, for a crisp and light finish. After tasting them, the Powerhouse team reckoned they might even be better than a mince pie!” – Georgie commented.

Find the full recipe below

Ingredients: 

• 1 x jar of mincemeat (usually 411g) 
• 100g unsalted nuts, chopped – you can use a mix of any nut; pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds – whatever you have lying around in your cupboard 
• 100g ground almonds 
• 100g glacier cherries, chopped 
• 1 orange, juice and zested 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 150g butter, melted 
• 1 x 270g packs of filo pastry  
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup 

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 C/160 C fan. 
• Keep a small handful of the chopped nuts to one side, then add the remainder into a bowl, along with the mincemeat, ground almonds, glacier cherries, orange zest, half of the orange juice and cinnamon. 
• With a pastry brush, grease the bottom of a 20 x 30cm baking tray with some of the melted butter. Lay a sheet of filo pastry in the bottom, and brush with more melted butter. Add another sheet of pastry on top, and repeat the above steps, using up half the sheets of filo pastry.   
• Pour the mincemeat mix on top of the pastry, spread out evenly with a spoon. Top with the remaining pastry sheets, brushing melted butter between each layer. Brush the final layer of filo with melted butter, and sprinkle with remaining chopped nuts. Using a sharp knife, cut diagonally across the baklava, cutting all the way down to the bottom layers of pastry. Then cut diagonally the other way, to create diamond-shaped pieces.  
• Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes, until a deep golden brown. 
• Meanwhile mix the orange juice and maple syrup in a small bowl. When the baklava is baked, remove it from the oven and brush with the orange and maple mix, allowing it to sink in. 
• Serve slightly warm with a dollop of cream for dessert or enjoy with a cuppa in the post-Christmas lull. 

 Optional: 

• Add a tablespoon of Christmas booze to the orange and maple syrup, for a bit of extra festive spirit.  

Enjoy!