Phil's mince pie masterclass
It's never too early for a mince pie and it seems many agree - Asda started stocking them in August, four months early, and shoppers have already spent a whopping £17 million on mince pies so far this year!
Phil's in the kitchen ready to show us how to bake your way to mince pie perfection (including a gluten-free version).
Serves: makes 12
Ingredients
For the pastry
175g unsalted butter
350g plain flour
Pinch of salt
Couple of pinches of grated nutmeg
1 tbsp castor sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ egg shell of cold water, approx
For the filling
400g luxury mince meat
Finely zest of 1 large orange and 1 lemon
1 tsp ground cinnamon
25g ground almonds
10g fresh breadcrumbs, if needed
1 egg, beaten
Milk, to glaze
Brown sugar, to sprinkle
Phil's top tip - to enjoy at their best, follow my lead and serve with clotted cream and a glass of brandy!
Method
To make the pastry, place the cold butter, flour, salt, nutmeg and sugar together in a food processor. Mix until you have a fine breadcrumb texture, do not over work.
Add the egg, water and mix well, using the pulse button. Do not overwork or the pastry will shrink when cooked.
Turn out of the processor and knead very gently to bring together
Flatten slightly, wrap in cling film, then chill for about 20 minutes before rolling
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 and grease patty tins
To make the filling, thoroughly mix the mincemeat with the zests, cinnamon and almonds. If the mincemeat is still quite syrupy, then add the breadcrumbs as well to tighten the mixture.
Roll out two thirds of the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of about 5mm, and use a cutter to cut out pastry discs which will line the bases of the patty tins, we used a 8.5cm fluted cutter. Carefully line the moulds with the pastry, then spoon in enough mincemeat to fill nice and full.
Brush a little beaten egg around the inside rim of the pastry. Cut out smaller circles from the remaining pastry to make lids for the pies (we used a 6cm plain cutter) place on top of the mincemeat and pinch around the edges to seal.
Lightly brush milk across the lids to glaze, and sprinkle over a little brown sugar, then use a sharp knife to make a small hole in the centre
Bake in the oven for about 15-18 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Allow mince pies to cool before removing from the tins.
Phil's gluten-free pastry
Serves: makes enough for 1 x 24cm x 4cm deep tart or flan
Ingredients
To make Phil’s gluten-free flour mix (makes 1kg)
700g fine white rice flour
200g potato flour
100g tapioca starch or flour
To make the gluten free shortcrust pastry
225g Phil’s gluten free flour mix
1 tsp Xanthan gum
2 pinches salt
110g cold Stork margarine
1 medium egg, beaten
Cold water
Method
To make Phil’s gluten-free flour mix
Mix all the flours together very thoroughly or put into a food processor and pulse until mixed. Store in an airtight container.
To make the gluten free shortcrust pastry
Place the flour mix, Xanthan gum and salt into a bowl and really mix well
Add the margarine and rub in well until you have fine breadcrumbs (or use a food processor)
Add the egg and a little water and really mix well. Keep an eye on the texture, you may need to add a little more water so it’s nice and soft. (Bear in mind the gum will tighten up the mixture considerably).
Roll out and use
Phil's top tip - If you can’t find Xanthan gum you can substitute with 2 tsp psyllium husk, this also helps to bind (both available from health food stores) but you will need to add a little more water as the absorption rate is higher.