Baking with Platypus - Mince Pies (and Sweet Pastry)

[platypus]

It's that time of year, who doesn't like a good mince pie (stay out if you don't )?

This is done in two parts, making the filling, and making the pastry. I'll start off with a reasonable sweet pastry recipe that can be used for anything - it will make 24 mince pies (in a standard 12 muffin baking tray) with these measurements, or enough for two normal size tarts/quiches/pies (25cm).

Ingredients & Method
Sweet pastry
330g plain flour
50g ground almond
240g plain unsalted butter (cubed)
110g caster sugar
2 eggs

Stir the flour and ground almonds together with your hands.

Add the butter cube by cube, then rub together with your fingers. Have patience, you are aiming for a breadcrumb like consistency.

Then add the sugar and carry on mixing. Add the eggs and it will start to bind.

Lightly flour a work surface and then work the dough into a ball. Cling film up and put in the fridge overnight.

Mincemeat
225g vegetarian suet
225g Bramley apples finely chopped
125g candied peel, finely chopped
225g sultanas
225g raisins
225g currants
175g/6oz demerara sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper

Simply throw all these together, mix up, and store overnight in the fridge. You can store what you don't use in (sterilised) jars .

To be continued, tomorrow, when I bake them !

 

[platypus]

Can't say that it is, but then it's been fridged until tomorrow. If you find it dry, throw in the juice of another lemon, and perhaps some brandy (I decided to omit it this time).

Edit now that you mention it, yes - add some brandy (about 150ml).

 

[platypus]

And so we come to making them .

Method
Preheat your oven to 200oC (180oC fan oven).

You will need the sweet pastry and mincemeat made last night, a sharp knife and some egg wash (beat an egg and add a little milk). If using a standard muffin tin, you will need an 10cm pastry cutter for the dish, and an 8cm cutter for the lids.

I'm no expert here, so take what I say with a pinch of salt. There is a plethora of advice on pastry, ranging from taking it out of the fridge and working on it straight away with ice cooled hands, to working with it warm as its easier to manipulate.

Just find what works for you. If you take the time and effort in the rubbing stage, even though its tedious and tiring on your fingers, it makes the pastry quite resilient, and gives clumsy folk like myself some grace when it comes to rolling it.

Just keep the surface well floured, as well as the rolling pin. Make sure your hands are dry, they don't need to be cold in my experience, and you can mess about with the dough as much as you want, re-balling it to repair it, and re-rolling it as much as you want. If you tear it, simply put it back on top of the bulk and roll it back in. Again, if you've put the effort in in the making stages, you'll be rewarded here by being able to get away with it.

Also pick it up and turn it over regularly.

Lightly grease the tins, and then start cutting and filling the dishes.

Fill the dishes with 2 tsps of the mix, or as much as they'll take - this is why I use muffin tins as you get a really deep fill pie .

Cut a hole or cross or whatever pattern you fancy in the lids, and then brush them all with egg wash.

If you want you can then dust them with caster or icing sugar - this, whilst usual, simply isn't my preference.

Then we shall see what they are like after 20 minutes baking .

 

[platypus]

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

The best way to enjoy a mince pie is to take the lid off, put a slice of blue Stilton inside, and serve with port whilst the pie is warm.

I've unfortunately overcooked these a little, as the pastry is a tad too well done. Other than that, they taste delicious .

 

[platypus]

That doesn't sound too pleasant to me. The pies do however look incredible as they are.

Nice job.



Interesting.

Try it, and if you're not converted, I will personally bake you some more mince pies *!


*No, really. Limit 12 per person

 

[platypus]

Let me start by saying that I'm in no way criticising the standard of your pastry, and I've not tried it so can't comment on how it actually is. But...

If you work a short pastry too much, over mixing/kneading, folding it and re-rolling, you can make it tough & chewy quite easily. A nice light & crumbly pastry is short because the gluten chains in the four are kept short through mininmal working (in the opposite way, kneading bread stretches the chains making the dough more elastic).

I use a Delia recipe for shortcrust pastry with a 2:1 four to fat ratio, and use half lard half butter for the fat (so 4:1:1 of flour, butter & lard).
Cube the room temperature fat and rub it into the flour until you get a light breadcrumb texture. Then add a desertspoon of cold water and begin to bring it together with a tableknife, add more water a tiny bit at a time until the dough just begins to come together. Gather it into a ball and chill for 30 mins before rolling.

All hints and tips are appreciated. The pastry was pretty damned spot on in this case though, I'd just left them in the oven for about 2-3 minutes too long, and its a new oven so I'm still getting used to it .