madbaker | Mincemeat Tart, or Mad Magazine Sound Effect?

This week's Resolution Recipe: Ecclefechan Butter Tarts.
"A rich, toffeeish confection of dried fruit, nuts, butter, and dark sugar, they include a surprise spoonful of vinegar, which takes the edge off the sweetness."

Pastry:
200 g plain flour
2 Tbsp icing (i.e. powdered) sugar
100 g cold unsalted butter, diced (I used about 1/4 lard and 3/4 butter)
1 medium egg
1 tsp lemon juice
2-3 tsp ice-cold water

Filling:
150 g dark brown sugar
2 medium eggses
100 g unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
200 g mixed dried fruit (currants are traditional) (I used ~1/3 currants, 1/3 cranberries, and 1/3 cherries.)
25 g each walnuts and pecans, chopped

Put the flour and icing sugar into a bowl and add the butter. Rub it in lightly with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix the egg with the lemon juice and 2 tsp water. Add to the mixture and stir in with a round-bladed knife, adding another 1 tsp water if necessary. When the dough begins to stick together, gently knead it into a smooth ball. (Alternatively, you can make it in a fud processor, blitzing the flour, icing sugar, and butter together, then adding the liquid.)

Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 200° C (400° F).

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to a 2-3mm thickness. Using a 10cm cutter, cut out 12 circles and use them to line a muffin tin. For the filling, beat the brown sugar with the eggses, then beat in the melted butter. Add the vinegar and dried fruit and mix well, then divide the mixture between the pastry cases. Mix the walnuts and pecans together and sprinkle them over the tarts. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling has only a slight wobble.

Cool slightly on a wire rack, and remove the tarts while they are slightly warm.

What worked: These were honestly better than I expected. Like a mincemeat tart, but the vinegar helped keep them from being too sweet. The crust was still flaky even though sometimes adding an egg prevents that. I had to be careful removing them from the muffin tin, but only the first one threatened to break.

The leftovers were good with tea in the afternoon.

What didn't: The crust was slightly underbaked and could have used another 3-5 minutes in the oven. Using the same mixture as a Christmas Pud would be nicer - that is, adding in chopped dried apricots. (I didn't want to deal with mincing them that day.)

Will I make it again? I might well in the fall/winter. It's not a spring/summer dessert.