Gems from the Interwebs

The quintessential Christmas sweet…

Mince Pies

Had my first one yesterday, so it’s now officially Christmas-time! But shop-bought ones never taste quite as good as the home-made sort. Even if it’s a case of rolling out some shortcrust pastry and plopping in some store-bought mincemeat, they’ll be better… I didn’t have any pastry, so went one-up in the making stage and made my own. It’s really simple, actually.

(makes 6)

125g plain flour

55g butter, cubed

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

Pinch baking powder

Dash lemon juice

2-3 tbsp cold water

Mincemeat

1. Rub the butter in the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in the sugar, baking powder, and spice.

3. Swirl in the lemon juice and some of the water with a knife, stirring until it comes together - the amount of water you’ll need varies, but just take care not to put too much in.

4. Wrap dough in clingfilm and chill in fridge for 15 minutes.

5. Roll out on a floured surface, then cut with a large fluted circle-cutter. Place in a greased shallow-cupcake tin. Fill with mincemeat.

6. Cut out slightly smaller circles.

7. Brush the edges with milk, then cover with the small circles and pinch edges together. Cut a cross in the middle of each pie, and brush with a little milk.

8. Bake at about Gas Mark 5 / 200oC until turning brown - about 30-40 minutes.