MINCE PIES WITH SWEET PASTRY

For homemade mince pies, if you buy shop bought mincemeat then it's all about the pastry.  Here are a few variations of pâte sucrée (sweet pastry) for you to try..

Classic Pâte Sucrée:

400g Plain Flour

175 Icing Sugar, sieved

250g Unsalted Butter

2 Eggs, beaten

Pinch of Salt

Recipe from Paul Hollywood:

7oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp icing sugar
3½oz unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1cm/½in cubes
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon juice

Recipe from Mary Berry:

175g (6oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) icing sugar
75g (2.5oz) butter
1 egg 

Recipes from the Facebook Group "Let's Get The Nation Cooking Again"

Recipe from Glenys Lowes:

12oz Self Raising Flour

3oz Margarine

3oz Lard

3oz Sugar

1 Egg, beaten

"Glenys: Personally I always use self raising flour, I have been questioned about this but always get compliments on how good my pastry is. Add a little milk to mix, don't make it too wet.  Plenty of flour to roll out."

My mother in law always used to make shortcrust pastry with half margarine and half lard.  She taught me the ratio of half fat to flour and half water to fat and I see that this recipe has that ratio too as the combined weight of the two fats is half the weight of the flour. If you use her method of weighing the liquid then the egg (2oz) and milk combined should weigh 3oz. Half fat to flour, half sugar to fat, half egg and milk to fat. 

Recipe from Sofia Gallo:

300g 00Flour

80g Lard

100g Caster Sugar

2 Medium Eggs, beaten

Lemon Zest

"Sofia: I mix the lard and sugar first, then the flour to a sand consistency, add the lemon zest an then the eggs, a little at a time.  This is a very common recipe with Nonnas in Italy. It also makes very good biscuits too, a sort of shortbread cookie."

Recipe from Beverley Joiner:

Grate some orange zest into some cream cheese and add a dollop under the lid.

If you want to jazz up shop bought mincemeat, here's Paul Hollywood's recipe..

410g jar mincemeat

2 satsumas, peeled and segmented, or ½ x 310g tin mandarin orange segments, drained

1 dessert apple, unpeeled, cored and finely chopped

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Put the mincemeat in a large bowl. Add the mandarin or satsuma segments, chopped apple and lemon zest. Stir well, cover and leave to macerate for several hours or overnight.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan or Gas 6, and place a baking sheet inside to heat up.

Make the pastry using the 'rubbing in' method.  Combine the flour and cubed cold fat (or grated) by gently rubbing between the fingertips and thumbs, continuing until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively use a food processor.

Add the icing sugar and then the beaten egg to form a ball of dough. Cover in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 mins to rest before using.

Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with icing sugar or flour. Roll out the pastry to about 1/8 inch thickness, about the thickness of a UK pound coin.  Use a fluted pastry cutter to stamp out rounds (your cutter should be slightly larger than the holes in your bun tin). You can either use a traditional bun tin or a deeper muffin tin if you like deeper mince pies. 

In a greased bun tin line each hole with one of the pastry rounds. 

Fill each pastry case with mincemeat.  Don't overfill them as they will leak and make your mince pies stick to the tin.

Bring together the pastry scraps and re-roll. Cut out lids with a smaller pastry cutter. Brush a little beaten egg around the base of the lid and it down onto the pie edge, pressing gently to seal. Try to avoid getting egg wash between the pastry and the tin as this can also lead to sticking.

Brush the tops of the mince pies with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with caster sugar.  You can also use any pastry scraps and tiny cutters to cut out shapes like holly leaves and stars to stick on the tops of your pies.  Use a sharp knife to make a small incision in the middle of the pie, or several decorative incisions, to let out the steam as they bake.

Instead of complete lids you can also use shaped cutters to put a star or tree shape on top.

Slide the bun tin onto the hot baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.  Putting the bun tin onto the hot baking sheet ensures they have a crispy bottom.

Once cooked, set the bun tin on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes and then turn the mince pies out.  

Serve with your choice of brandy butter, cream or ice cream. 

QUICK QUICHE LORRAINE

This is a recipe from my school days, it's easy and great for lunch served warm, or at room temperature, with a salad; or hot with baked beans for supper, one of our favourites. You will need an 8in (20cm) fluted flan dish. A loose bottomed metal flan tin is best but a ceramic flan dish will work too. 

INGREDIENTS

For 9oz Shortcrust Pastry:

6oz Plain Flour

3oz Butter, cubed

1.5oz Water

This is using the ratio of half fat to flour, half water to fat, weighing the water is the key and makes it easy to scale up. More info.. Shortcrust Pastry

Filling:

4oz-6oz Bacon (about 4 - 6 rashers), chopped

1 Onion, peeled and chopped

4oz Cheddar Cheese, grated

2 Eggs

1/4pt Milk

Mixed Herbs

Salt and Pepper

Alternative Fillings:

You can use streaky or back bacon and could replace the bacon with chopped cooked ham, cooked salmon or vegetables of your choice. You can also replace the milk with cream or a use a mix of milk and cream.

METHOD

Make the pastry. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in gently with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the water until the pastry comes together in a ball.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and line the flan tin / dish, pressing into the fluted edges; leave the edges overhanging the sides. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 200c / 400f.  Prick the pastry case all over with a fork, to prevent air bubbles forming during baking.  Line the base and sides with baking parchment and weigh it down with baking beans or rice, making sure it is filled right the way up the sides of the pastry base to prevent the sides from collapsing in. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, this is baking blind. 

Separate an egg for an egg wash using the egg white, reserve the egg yolk. Remove the beans and paper from the pastry base, paint lightly beaten egg white onto the pastry base and bake the empty case for a further 10 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly browned. This is to seal the pastry base and prevent a soggy bottom.

Once baked remove the pastry case from the oven and leave to cool. Using a sharp knife, trim the overhanging pastry.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180c / 350f.

Now to make the filling.  Crisp the bacon in a sauté pan over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Transfer to the cooled pastry case with a slotted spoon.  Leave the juices in the pan.

Place the chopped onion in the pan and cook over a medium heat for 8 minutes until golden.  Add to the pastry case and top with the grated cheese.

In a bowl, combine the eggs (including the reserved yolk and any left over egg white from the egg wash), milk, herbs, salt and pepper, then pour into the flan.  

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins until golden and just set. Be careful not to overcook the quiche or the filling will become tough. 

Enjoy!

PS:  If you've any pastry left why not make some Jam Tarts?

JAMES MARTIN'S BEST EVER QUICHE

I haven't actually made this yet, my recipe from my school days is much simpler, see Quick Quiche Lorraine.  This looks to be a much deeper and richer quiche and I look forward to trying it!

INGREDIENTS
Short Crust Pastry:
200g plain flour
100g butter
1 egg
Water if needed

Custard:
125ml double cream
125ml milk
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
Salt and pepper

Filling:
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes sliced
200g grated cheddar
3 slices thick ham
Few sprigs of thyme

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°c.

Place the flour into a bowl, add the butter and salt then rub between your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix with your fingers. Knead on a floured surface until smooth, wrap in cling and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Grease a 24cm tart tin and roll the pastry out to on a lightly floured surface and use to line the tin. Blind bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sweat the onions in a pan with a knob of butter until deeply coloured, cool then spread over the bottom of the tart case.

To make the filling, whisk together the eggs, cream, and milk then season.

Pour the custard into the tart tin, add the ham, sprinkle the cheese over the top then lay the tomatoes all over. Sprinkle with thyme and put in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, it should have a slight wobble in the middle.

For the salad, chop the tomatoes and slice into 1/2s and 1/4s mix with the oil and vinegar season.

Once cooked, let the quiche sit for 5 minutes and trim the edge of the pastry crust.

Serve hot, warm or cold with salad.

Source: https://www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/recipes/best-ever-quiche

JAM TARTS

This is a Mary Berry recipe, a childhood favourite.  The pastry is more crisp than a standard shortcrust pastry and can also be used for mince pies or other sweet tarts. You need a 12-hole bun tin.

INGREDIENTS

Sweet Pastry:

175g (6oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) icing sugar
75g (2.5oz) butter
1 egg 

Fillings:

Strawberry Jam

Blackcurrant Jam

Apricot Jam

Lemon Curd

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c Fan or Gas 6, and place a baking sheet inside to heat up.

Make the pastry using the 'rubbing in' method. Combine the flour and butter by gently rubbing between the fingertips and thumbs, continuing until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively use a food processor to combine the flour and butter. 

Add the icing sugar and then add a beaten egg to form a ball of dough. Cover in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 mins to rest before using.

Lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar.  Place the dough on top, dust with icing sugar, dust your rolling pin too.  Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 1-2mm (1/8 inch). Stamp 12 rounds from the pastry using a 8cm/3in fluted pastry cutter (your cutter should be slightly larger than the holes in your bun tin). Line each hole of a 12-hole bun tin with one of the pastry rounds and prick the base of each with a fork 3 times to prevent the pastry rising.

Slide the bun tin onto the hot baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12-15 mins, or until golden brown and crisp. Putting the bun tin onto the hot baking sheet ensures cases with a crispy bottom. Once cooked leave to cool.

Meanwhile heat your chosen filling gently in a pan, or in a heatproof jug in the microwave in short bursts, until it liquifies to a pouring consistency, then pour carefully into the pastry cases.    Leave to set.

NB: Most jam tart recipes put the jam in the pastry cases before baking but this method ensures that no jam overflows and burns and you get an even shiny jam filling. They look shop bought!

If you wanted to make "Queen of Hearts" tarts you could make hearts out of the scraps of pastry and bake them separately, placing on the jam filling as it cools.

BLACKCURRANT PIE

I will never forget my first taste of Blackcurrant Pie!  When I was growing up we often used to go for lunch in a cafe called 'The Tender Trap' in St. Annes-on-Sea.  The blackcurrant pie was made by Mrs. Sterk and it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted.  This recipe is my attempt at replicating it!

INGREDIENTS
Shortcrust Pastry or *Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, see bottom of post
4-6 Cups of Blackcurrants
1-2 Tablespoons of Cornflour
½ Cup Sugar
Lemon zest (optional)

METHOD
Filling
Toss the blackcurrants in the cornflour, sugar and lemon zest, put aside.
The cornflour mixes with the juice from the blackcurrants to form a thick jammy filling

Pastry
Make the Shortcrust Pastry as per my recipe
or *Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, see bottom of post

Leave to chill for 20 minutes

Divide the pastry into two and roll out

Line a pie plate with half of the pastry, using the plate as your guide

Fill with the blackcurrant mixture

Dampen the edges of the pastry with a little water

Top with the other half of the pastry

Press down on the pastry edges making sure they are properly sealed.  Hold the plate elevated in one hand, with the other hand trim off any excess pastry with a knife in a downward motion, using the plate edge as your guide

Flute the edges with a pinching action using your fingers and thumb. If you struggle to do that you can always just use a fork and press down on all the edges to make a lined pattern on the pastry edge

Decorate with pastry leaves, sticking them down with a little water

Make two small incisions in the middle of the pastry lid to let the steam escape

Brush the pastry lid with a little milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar

Bake at 200c for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown.

Serve with cream or custard

VARIATIONS
You could replace the Blackcurrants with Peaches

Instead of using pastry you could make this into a Sponge Pudding

*Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
This is Paul Hollywood's recipe.  Use the same method as in my Shortcrust Pastry, mixing the flour and icing sugar together, adding the butter, then the egg and lemon juice:

7oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp icing sugar
3½oz unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1cm/½in cubes
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon juice

APPLE PIE

My Mother-in-Law Shirley taught me how to make this, it's surprisingly easy!  I'm sorry I don't have any quantities I usually do it by eye but I would buy between 4 & 6 large Bramley Apples.  If you make too much the excess can always be saved (or frozen) for apple sauce.

INGREDIENTS
Shortcrust Pastry or *Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, see bottom of post
Bramley Apples (cooking apples)
Sugar (adjust according to taste / how sour the apples are)
Water

METHOD
Filling
Peel and core the apples, slice or chop, it doesn't really matter

Place in a pan with a little sugar

Pass the pan quickly under a running tap to add just a touch of water.  Not too much, the apples will release their own liquid.  If you add too much water the final result will be too sloppy, you can always add more if necessary

Cook on a medium heat until the apples are cooked and collapsing (it shouldn't take long). Keep an eye on them that they don't boil dry, add a little more water if necessary. Taste and adjust the sweetness with a little more sugar if necessary

Once they are cooked, place in a sieve or colander sitting over a bowl to collect the juice. Reserve the juice

Leave to cool

Pastry
Make the Shortcrust Pastry as per my recipe
or *Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, see bottom of post

Leave to chill for 20 minutes

Divide the pastry into two and roll out

Line a pie plate with half of the pastry, using the plate as your guide

Fill with the cooled and strained apple mixture

Dampen the edges of the pastry with a little water

Top with the other half of the pastry

Press down on the pastry edges making sure they are properly sealed.  Hold the plate elevated in one hand, with the other hand trim off any excess pastry with a knife in a downward motion, using the plate edge as your guide

Flute the edges with a pinching action using your fingers and thumb. If you struggle to do that you can always just use a fork and press down on all the edges to make a lined pattern on the pastry edge

Decorate with pastry leaves, sticking them down with a little water

Make two small incisions in the middle of the pastry lid to let the steam escape

Brush the pastry lid with a little milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar

Bake at 200c for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown.

Serve with the reserved apple juice and cream or custard

VARIATIONS
You can always add a little cinnamon to the apples

You could swop the apples for pears or a mixture of the two

When adding the apple mixture to the pie you could dot a few blackberries on the top, no need to cook them first

Instead of using pastry you could make this into a Sponge Pudding

You can also make this with with Puff Pastry but I prefer to make that in a deeper dish with only a pastry top as the bottom pastry can sometimes end up soggy.  Buy ready make Puff Pastry, life is too short to try and make it!

*Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
This is Paul Hollywood's recipe.  Use the same method as in my Shortcrust Pastry, mixing the flour and icing sugar together, adding the butter, then the egg and lemon juice:

7oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp icing sugar
3½oz unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1cm/½in cubes
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon juice

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Mrs. Robinson, my Domestic Science teacher at school, used to despair at my efforts to make pastry.  It was never very successful as I have warm hands and when you're making pastry everything has to be cold.  Then I discovered that I could make pastry in my Kenwood Mixer with the K-beater attachment and along with a marble rolling pin the problem was solved!  Then my Mother-in-Law shared her secret with me and I have never used shop bought pastry since.  It takes under 5 minutes to make and it's perfect every time.

INGREDIENTS
Plain Flour
Butter (at room temperature)
Water

My Mother-in-Law's secret is to use the following formula:

Half fat to flour
Half water to fat

So if you want to make some pastry to line a flan dish use 6oz flour, 3oz fat and 1½oz water.  It doesn't matter how much pastry you're making it is always the same.  Weigh the water and it's always turns out perfectly.

Another tip from my Mother-in-Law is to replace half the butter with pure lard which creates pastry with perfect texture and taste.  Or if you're looking to reduce the fat content of the pastry use half butter and half Trex which is a vegetable fat sold here in the UK.
See http://www.trex.co.uk

METHOD
Weigh all the ingredients. Place the flour and butter in a Kenwood mixer with the K-blade attached, or in a food processor with the mixing blade.  Mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and with the motor still running add the weighed water.  The mixture will very quickly come together into a ball. Remove the pastry ball, cover in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 mins to rest before using.

VARIATION - Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
This is Paul Hollywood's recipe.  Use the same method as above, mixing the flour and icing sugar together, adding the butter, then the egg and lemon juice:

7oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp icing sugar
3½oz unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1cm/½in cubes
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon juice