Traditional Christmas pies are indulgent and taste the best homemade.
Overnight soaking of fruit and chilling pastry
Place dried fruit in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped.
Place in a bowl with apple, sugar, marmalade, rind, spice and brandy. Stir to combine. Cover and store overnight.
Preheat oven to 180ºC. Grease two 12-hole patty pans.
To make the pastry, place flour and icing sugar into a food processor; process until combined.
Add butter and process until crumbly. Add egg yolk mixture and process until a ball forms, adding a little more water if necessary.
Knead lightly on a floured board. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Roll out pastry on a floured board, using a floured rolling pin, to about 3mm thick.
Use a 7.5cm diameter fluted cutter to cut out 24 circles.
Line prepared pans with pastry rounds. Reserve pastry scraps. Fill pastry cases with fruit mince.
Gather pastry scraps together. Roll out to 3mm thickness. Use a star cutter to cut 24 stars. Top each tart with a star. Brush the tartlets lightly with the beaten egg.
Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Dust with icing sugar before serving.