MMMmince pies. Fabulous part of the pre-Christmas dance. I only got to mine yesterday after having the ingredients on the bench for 2 weeks!
Tradition has it that if you eat 12 mince pies over Advent, you will have twelve months of good luck and good health. I am certainly trying to get a year of good health!
These are an annual tradition for me. My dearest old buddy and I have been making them for years. The story goes that JR and her Mum were having afternoon tea at the Windsor Hotel in '98 and asked the pastry chef for his recipe for the brilliant pastry. The filling is suited to us - you can modify it to your own taste!
Pastry:
250g softened unsalted butter
250g icing sugar
1 egg
60ml milk (full cream)
500g plain flour
Beat butter and icing sugar until well-combined. Add egg and milk and lastly flour.
Do not overwork. Pop in fridge at least 2 hours wrapped in cling wrap.
Filling:
2 jars of MacRobertson's fruit mince
1 packet chopped, dried apricots
100g currants
I like a pastry star over the mince mixture as a "lid", or you can dust them with icing sugar, or leave them plain.
No need to do any blind baking - just roll, cut into rounds, cook in greased patty pan tins until lightly golden in moderate oven.
CHEAT: If you would rather stick pins in your eyes than make pastry, pampas do a passable shortcrust pastry case (in frozen section of the supermarket) which is easier but not as tasty as the above recipe. There are 12 in a pack, and retail for $5-$6 (making pastry is MUCH cheaper).
YUM!
2 comments:
I am drooling over your mince pies. They look gorgeous.
I am shocking at making pastry, but I know a good recipe when I see one ... I might just give it a go (you really can't go past a sweet pastry with unsalted butter and icing sugar - yum!).
Yummo! I love mince tarts and would usually make them, but have really run out of time and ENERGY this Christmas.
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