Pretty Little Cranberry Pear Pies - orange

Method

• Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before you start so that it is room temperature.
• Zest and juice half of the orange.
• Put the zest and juice of the orange into a saucepan.
• Then add the butter, brown sugar, cranberries, and cinnamon.
• Carefully peel the pears with a vegetable peeler.
• Cut them into quarters and cut out the cores.
• Cut the quarters into small pieces.
• If using canned pears, just cut them into small pieces.
• Put the pears into the pan.
• Gently heat the mixture on low for 10 minutes.
• Keep stirring the mixture so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
• Take it off the heat and let it cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Dust your rolling pin and a clean work surface with a little bit of flour.
• Do not use too much flour or the dough will get tough.
• Roll out the pastry until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
• With the round cutter, cut 12 circles from the dough.
• Press the scraps together to make a ball and set aside.
• Press the circles into the muffin tins.
• Put a heaped teaspoon of the pear mixture into each cup.
• Roll out the ball of dough again and cut out 12 stars with the star cutter.
• Lay the stars on the pies, then brush milk over the tops.
• The milk will make the pastry shiny when it is cooked.
• Bake the pies for 20 minutes, until they are golden.
• Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the tray for 10 minutes.
• Using a blunt knife, lift the pies onto a plate.
• Put a little powdered sugar into a sieve and sprinkle the sugar over the pies.
• The pies can be eaten warm or cold.
• You could serve the pies with a spoonful of whipped cream.