Ingredients
Serves 6 (makes 12 pinwheels)100g dark Muscovado sugar
1 packet of puff pastry
400g fruit mix chopped (see below) or fruit mince
1 tbsp milk
30g flaked almonds
50g almond meal
A pinch of salt
Fruit Mix
250g sultanas
250g raisins
250g glace cherries leave them whole
200g candied orange peel
200 g candied pineapple
300g cedro (candied citron)
200g dried blueberries
200g dried cranberries
100g paw paw
2 cups brandy
1 dried bay leaf slightly crushed
1tbsp mixed spice
2 cinnamon quills
1½ cups dark Muscovado sugar
A pinch of salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C / fan forced 180°C.
Sprinkle some sugar over the worktop; place the pastry sheet on the sugar. If you are using a roll of pastry, roll it out so it's a quarter bigger, but still in its rectangular shape.
Spread the fruit mix or mince evenly over the pastry leaving a 2cm border along the longest edges. Sprinkle some sugar and almond meal over mince.
Fold one of the longest edges over the mince then roll the pastry tightly into a sausage shape while gently pressing the pastry into the mincemeat. When you get to the other edge, brush it with milk, and press down to seal in the mince.
Press both ends in gently to plump up the roll and chill for at least 30 minutes to firm it.
Cut the roll into even rounds, about 3cm thick. Lay them evenly spaced on a large lined tray and flatten them with your hand so they look like squashed donuts.
Scatter the almonds on top and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and the mince sizzles. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and keep them separate so they don't stick together.
Eat hot with ice cream or cream, or sprinkle some icing sugar when cool and serve with a sparkling shiraz, port or tokay.
Fruit Mix
Mix all the ingredients in a deep metal bowl and store in a sterilized bottle. Wait at least 2 weeks before using.
Alternatively, you can tart up a box of commercially available fruit mix with some extra glace cherries, candied orange peel, brandy, bay leaf, cinnamon quills, and sugar.
What is Muscovado sugar?
Muscovado is a type of unrefined brown sugar with a strong molasses flavour. Also known as "Barbados sugar" or "moist sugar," it is very dark brown and slightly coarser and stickier than most brown sugars. Unlike most other brown sugars, which are made by adding molasses to refined white sugar, muscovado takes its flavour and colour from its source, sugarcane juice. It offers good resistance to high temperatures and has a reasonably long shelf life.