A Taste Of Tradition - Mince Pies
This simple recipe was discovered in a back issue of Delicious magazine (January 2005); the vagaries of publishing means this is their Christmas issue. Originally the recipe was for a gluten free mince pie; being lazy and with no intolerances I just swapped the pastry making section for some ready rolled. Now I can hear you thinking - why bother writing about mince pies when all you need is to plonk some mince meat in a pastry shell and bobs your Father Christmas?
The recipe suggested adding small balls of marzipan to the top of the mix and some cranberries. A seasonal twist to the traditional Christmas-at-the-Barrows mince pie.
Frankly I wish I hadn’t bothered. The marzipan flavour barely registered while the cranberries just became a chewy mass after cooking. Mind you the extra brandy I added to the mincemeat (already soaked in Madeira) made for a boozy moment or two. (For drink suggestions see Wine Sediments)
So a second batch - forget the cranberries… more marzipan! more brandy! Hurrah!
[…] The humble - crumbly pastry, rich filling - is the epitome for me of Christmas indulgence. Forget your Chocolate (we have Easter for that), forget the imported . Just give me a mince-pie and I’ll be happy. Happier with a dollop of brandy butter too if truth be told; even happier with something to drink too.You are not going to get much enjoyment from a class of Chardonnay with a Mince Pie but there are plenty of other options to consider. Here are my five suggestions; which incidentally are also excellent accompaniments to the Christmas Pudding too: […]