Ingredients / Shopping List
Pastry:250g plain flour130g butterWater1 tsp lemon essenceFilling:25g caster sugar1 tsp ground cinnamonHalf a jar of good quality mincemeatTopping:50g plain flour25g rolled oats25 g desiccated coconut40g butter25g white sugar
Pastry:
250g plain flour
130g butter
Water
1 tsp lemon essence
Filling:
25g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Half a jar of good quality mincemeat
Topping:
50g plain flour
25g rolled oats
25 g desiccated coconut
40g butter
25g white sugar
Prep to Cook: Food processor, mixing bowl, knife, rolling pin, teaspoon, bun tray, cutter. Preheat oven 200ºC or Gas Mark 6
Prep:
1. Prep the pastry:
Put the flour and butter into a food processor and wizz for 20 – 30 seconds
Tip into a mixing bowl
Add 2 tablespoons of cold water with 1 tsp lemon essence to make the pastry
Add a further tablespoon of water if the dough does not form
Mix using a round bladed knife and turn out the pastry onto a floured table top
2. Prep the pastry cases:
Roll the pastry out into a large circle – as thin as you can
Mix the caster sugar and the cinnamon really well – sieve it together several times
Sprinkle this mixture over the rolled out pastry and gently rub it with your hands
Cut out the circles for the bun tray using a cutter just bigger than the top of the hollows
Place the circle of pastry over each hollow and gently press into the shape
3. Prep the topping:
Process the oats, flour, sugar and butter until crumbled
Stir in the coconut and mix well
4. Prep the pies:
Fill each hollow with a teaspoon of mincemeat – be neat because spills make the tarts stick in the tray.
Pile a teaspoon of crumble over the mincemeat
It may look a bit messy now but it firms up and crisps on cooking
Bake at 200ºC or Gas Mark 6 for 15 minutes
Test the pasty to see if it cooked. Look for slight golden colour and crisp texture
Remove the pies from the tray whilst warm.
Serve and enjoy or store in a tin until required
Crumble topped mince pies taste quite special. You make flavoured pastry, then create a seasonal filling and top it all off with a crumble mix with coconut.
Cooks Know How: You can use the food processor to do the rubbing in for you. You will see how quickly this can be done. Your skill will still be needed to add the correct amount of water to make up the pastry dough. You can practice your rolling out and cutting the base of the tart with cutters. You will see how the filling needs to be carefully piled in and then levelled a bit. Your processor will be used for a second time (without washing it!!) to mix the crumble. Your skills and judgement come in again when you top each tart with crumble and level it off then cook them until they are crisp and golden. To be really clever you could make double the crumble mix and save it in a bag for quick topping another time.