Marcus Wareing's mince pies add a little luxury to this classic recipe, using creamy sweet frangipane to top off this perfect pastry and luxurious fruit mince filling. Serve warm with a blob of cream and see how long they last!
Recipe from Cooking with Kids Christmas App from Great British Chefs.
Makes: 12For the pastry:
75g unsalted butter, softened
40g icing sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 pinch of salt
150g plain flour
For the Frangipane:
100g caster sugar
100g butter, softened
2 eggs
100g Ground almonds
50g flour
For the fruit mince mix:
500g mincemeat
1bramley apple, peeled and grated
1 orange zest
50g pitted prunes, finely chopped
25g dried cranberries, finely chopped 1 tsp black treacle
Instructions:
1. First make the pastry for the mince pies. Use a wooden spoon or electric whisk to beat together the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the salt and egg to the pastry mix and combine well. Sprinkle the plain flour in and mix gently to form a smooth dough. Take care not to over-work as the pastry will not be as crispy when cooked.
3. Lightly flour a work surface and place the ball of dough on top, flattening to create a disc. Wrap in cling film and leave to firm up in the fridge.
4. When cold and firm, remove the pastry from the cling film and dust in flour. Lay onto a sheet of baking paper and roll out to a 3mm thickness. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the fridge and get your little helper to cut out the mince pie bases using a round pastry cutter. Set aside in the fridge while you get on with preparing the mincemeat mix.
6. To make the mincemeat, get the kids to combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, then set aside.
7. To make the frangipane, beat together the caster sugar and butter until fluffy. Then beat in the eggs one at a time. Gently fold in the remaining ingredients until well incorporated.
8. Transfer the frangipane mix to a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle (or any other small round nozzle). Set aside.
9. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
10. Lightly oil the pastry tin and lay the pastry discs into the holes. Ensure the pastry is firmly in place.
11. Using a spoon, fill the pastry with fruit mince mix until each mould is 2/3rds full.
12. Pipe a splodge of frangipane on top of the mince pies to cover the mince mix. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the pastry is crisp and the frangipane is a nice golden colour. Leave to cool a little and serve.