Maggie Beer’s Dried Pear and Glace Ginger Eccles Cakes

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place the butter, sugar, ginger and pear in a bowl and use a fork to mash together until just combined.

Roll pastry out to 2.5 millimetre thick then cut 10 centimetre circles from the puff pastry and place a heaped teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each circle. Dampen the edges of the pastry with a little milk and gather the edges together to seal well.

Turn the cakes over so that the joins are underneath, then use a rolling pin to gently flatten. Slit the top of the pastry in two lines, so that the pears are just popping through. Brush the tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with a little sugar. Place the cakes on the baking tray, then refrigerate for 10 minutes as a minimum.

Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool a little before serving.