Crispy apple pies

A festive choice

Ingredients (Makes 12 pies)

100g (4oz) filo pastry
1 medium orange
125g (5oz) butter softened
4 eating apples
50g (2oz) dried cranberries
50g (2oz) caster sugar
half teaspoon cinnamon
50g (2oz) butter
2 teaspoons icing sugar
1 x 12 hole muffin or deep bun tray

1. Heat the oven to 190c, 375 F, gas mark 5. Take the filo pastry out of the fridge but leave it in its wrappings. Use the small holes of a grater to grate the orange rind. Cut the orange in half and squeeze out the juice. Cut the apple into quarters. Peel them, then cut out the cores. Cut the quarters into small chunks.

2. Put the apple, orange rind and three tablesppons of orange juice into a pan. Heat gently for 20 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the cranberries, sugar and cinnamon. Cook the mixture for another five minutes. Take the pan off the heat. Unwrap the pastry and cut each sheet into six square. Cover it with plastic foodwrap.

3. Put the butter in a small pan and melt. Use a pastry brush to brush a little butter over one of the pastry squares. Put the square into a hold in the tray, buttered side up. Brush butter on another square. Put it over the first one, so the corners overlap. Butter and add a third square.

4. Repeat in all the holes. Bake the pastry cases in the oven for 10 minutes. Leave them in the tray for 5 minutes to cool. Then take the cases out of the tray

5. Heat the applies again for two minutes until they bubble. Spoon the mixure into the cases, so they are almost full. Then sift a little icing sugar over the pies.

Delicious with ice cream, cream, creme fraiche or natural yogurt.