Ingredients: for mince
450g fresh cranberries(optional)
225g Bramley apples, cocked and chopped small
350g raisins
225g sultanas
225g currants
225g suet (or butter)
225g candied peel (again, optional)
350g soft dark sugar
grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
4tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
a good grind of fresh nutmeg
6tbspn brandy
Method
1) Mix all the ingredients except the brandy in the biggest bowl you have, ideally a large ceramic bowl, and stir them as thoroughly as possible so it's all well mixed.
2) Then cover the bowl with a tea cloth and leave the mixture in a cool place overnight or for 12 hours, to give the flavours a chance to mix and develop. This step is, by the way, definitely worth doing.
3) Pre-heat the oven at 120 degrees C, (gas mark 1/2 and 225 degrees F). Cover the bowl loosely with foil and place in the oven for three hours.
4) After 3 hours remove the bowl from the oven and leave to rest on the side: stir it occasionally so that everything gets an even coating with the melted fat. As it cools the fat solidifies and looks white again, so don't worry about the appearance at this stage.
5) Once cold, stir in the brandy.
6) Pack on jam jars and seal or place into tupperware to freeze. The mince meat can be stored in the fridge, freezer, or, I think at room temperature. It can apparently be even nicer a year later.
For pastry:
375g plain flour
250g unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
1 medium egg
1) Crumble the flour, the butter and the sugar in a bowl
2) Add the egg and bring the mixture together. You can squeeze it a bit, so it comes together in a ball.
3) Keep the pastry in the fridge for 1/2 hour before using for the best and most reliable results. You can then store it in the fridge for a few weeks.
For the combination of the two to make mince pies:
Some mince meat
1 portion of pate sucrée
A big and medium circular cookie cutter (the crinkly-edged ones if possible)
A splash of milk in a bowl or saucer
A kitchen brush
A normal knife
A 12-hole tin
A Rolling pin
A bit of flour to dust the surface with a knob of butter
A teaspoon
1) grease the tin with the butter
2) dust the surface and the rolling pin with plain flour
3) roll out the pastry to about 1.5 cm thick
4) cut 12 circles of pastry with the big cutters
5) pop them into the tin and fill them with a teaspoon and a half (roughly) of mincemeat
6) 12 medium circles of pastry
7) paint the edges of the circles with milk and seal them on to the mine pies in the tin
8) poke two holes in the lids with the tip of the knife
9) paint the lids with milk
10) place them into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden Brown
Enjoy warm from the oven, or cold: either way it tastes great with a cup of tea and some brandy cream or butter.
There you have it guys. I hope you give this a go. Check back next Wednesday 5pm GMT for another post.
Becky xoxo
