Special Christmas Mince Pie Recipe – Lashings HQ

For the mincemeat:

400 g raisins
250 g sultanas
200 g cranberries
6 g ground cloves
14 g ground cinnamon
400 g soft dark brown sugar
100 g suet (vegetable preferred)
30 g sherry vinegar
12 g orange blossom water
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 navel oranges, zest and juice

Instruction:

1. Combine all ingredients, cover with clingfilm and allow to stand at room temperature overnight.

For the pastry:

590 g plain flour
190 g caster sugar
260 g unsalted butter
Large pinch table salt
2 whole eggs

Instructions:

1. Combine the flour, sugar, butter and salt in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and work
to breadcrumb consistency.
2. Add the egg and mix until it just comes together.
3. Flatten into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.
You will need:
Rolling pin
Mini muffin tins
Spray grease

For the mince pies:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, spray grease your mini muffin tins and set aside.

2. Unwrap your pastry disc, lightly flour your clean work surface, split into 2 and roll the pastry out to about 1/2 cm thick. Using a round cutter that is slightly bigger than the holes in the mini muffin tin, cut rounds out of the pastry and carefully line the mini muffin tin. You want the pastry to come up to the top of the mini muffin holes. When you have lined the tins fully, chill in the fridge for 15 – 20 mins.

3. Whilst you’re chilling the lined pastry, roll out the other half of your pastry – again to about 1/2 cm thick – and use a star-shaped cutter (just large enough to reach the sides of the muffin holes) to cut out stars for the tops of the mince pies. Set aside.

4. Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and place a heaped teaspoon of the mincemeat filling into it, pressing down into the pastry to ensure that you have a good amount of mincemeat (nobody likes a scantly filled mince pie!). You want to have enough filling to fill the entire pastry case to the top. Place one of the reserved stars on the top and press the points of the star into the rim of the lined pastry cases to seal. Put back into the fridge for 15 – 20 mins to chill completely.

5. You can, at this point, brush the tops of your mince pies with either milk or a beaten egg/milk mixture, which will give your pies a glossy golden finish, or you can leave them au naturel (they will still brown slightly). When chilled down and the pastry is firm, pop the mince pies into the oven and bake for 12-15 mins, or until the pastry is cooked through, lightly golden, and the filling is bubbling.

6. Remove from the oven, allow to cool mostly in the tins, then remove to a wire rack to cool fully (the easiest way to do this is to twist the mince pies gently in the tins to loosen them, then turn them out upside down onto a clean surface. You can also use a small knife or palette knife to loosen the edge, but be careful as you don’t want to break the pastry or cut yourself).

7. When cool, dust with icing sugar and enjoy with a cuppa, glass of mulled wine, rosé or as a post-barbecue treat!

Jackie Lee Morrison is the #GirlBoss at Lashings, a local boutique brownie bar in Wellington. She just wants to #MakeYourBellyHappy.

Visit Lashings HQ: 1/31 Dixon Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011 (corner of Eva/Dixon Streets, above Eva Beva, entrance on Eva Street).