Between to trips to the shops to get the last missing presents, preparing a grocery order, going to Southwark cathedral's Christmas carol service, and a Christmas drink with friends, here is a Christmas recipe!
I simply cannot wait!
Whatever your plans are for the holidays, I wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
My Orange and Chocolate Not-mince pies
Here is the thing: I love the idea, the tradition and the look of mince pies, but I do not like mincemeat.
So I came came up with my very own filling mixture, which is still very Christmassy, very British and mix some of my favourite flavours: bitter orange, citrus and dark chocolate.
Whether you are not a big fan of mincemeat either of just want to discover a new take on a classic British treat, give them a try!
PS: the pastry, which recipe I took from Paul Hollywood's mince pies, is both very easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients (make 18 pies approx)
For the pastry
375g plain flour
260g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar, plus extra for
sprinkling
1 large egg, plus 1 beaten egg for glazing
For the filling
(these measures are rough guidelines. Feel
free to adapt as you see fit)
¾ of a 450g jar of good-quality orange
marmalade (I used Wilkin and Sons Tawny Orange Marmelade, which I love)
1 big handful of good quality dark
chocolate buttons (I used Valrhona), roughly chopped
¾ of a 200g pot of cut candied mixed peel
How to make orange and dark chocolate mince pies:
1/ Make the pastry: place the flour
and butter in a bowl and rub together to a crumb consistency. Add the sugar and
the egg, and mix together. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and fold
until the pastry comes together, be careful not to over mix. Wrap the pastry in
cling film and chill for at least 10 mins.
2/ In a bowl, mixed all the filling
ingredients, and set aside.
3/ Heat oven to 190-200C. Roll out the
pastry to 3mm thick. Using a round cutter (about 10cm), cut out 18 bases and
place them into buttered and floured muffin trays. Fill each case with filling
mixture up to ¾ of the height. Re-roll
out the pastry to cut lids/tops of whichever shape you like (little hearts, stars
or Christmas trees, etc) and place them carefully on top of the pies. Glaze the
lids and pie edges with the rest of the egg, sprinkle with caster sugar.
A close friend who has started a home-based bakery was currently looking for new recipes, and I think this will be the perfect addition to the list.
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