On the Fourth day of Christmas, my True Love baked for me…
Tarts. Maybe he isn’t my true love after all!
That’s ok. These are a little bit like love.
I promised I’d tell you what to do with that Christmas Mince… Here’s the first recipe!
The best Christmas mince, the best pastry, you’re never going to want a sore bought mince tart again… Maybe not even one made by Mr Kipling.
I like my mince tarts to be eensy meensy and so I make them in mini muffin pans. If you want bigger ones, use a regular muffin pan as a mould.
Christmas Mince Tarts
Makes 24 mini tarts
ingredients
250g flour
125g unsalted butter, diced
20g icing sugar
pinch salt
2 egg yolks
1-2 tbsp iced water
240g Best Christmas Mince
mixing
Place the flour and salt and a food processor and process until combined. At the cubes of butter and continue to process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and process briefly to combine. With the machine still running, at the egg yolks and process until just combined. Add as much iced water as needed. The pastry should look raggy rather than smooth. Gather the mixture together with your hands and press it into a ball. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour before using.
On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 2-3 mm thick. Cut 24 x 6 cm rounds from pastry and press the offcuts gently back together. Roll the pastry out again and cut 24 x 3 cm stars to top the mince tarts. You can also cut 4 cm rounds and use these as traditional lids.
Press the large pastry rounds into the mini muffin pan, for taking care that the upper edges are even. The upper edges of the pastry should reach the top of the mini muffin pan. Working a heaped teaspoonful at a time, fill the pastry cases what is about 10 g each of the mince. Top each tart with a star, or alternatively wet the outer edges of the 4cm pastry rounds with your fingers and place, wet side down over the filled tarts. Press the wet edge of the lid gently against the lower pastry case to seal. Cut a small slit in the top of the lid to allow steam to escape.
Bake the tarts at 180 degrees Celsius for approximately 20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with icing sugar while still warm and serve immediately. Alternatively, the mince tarts will keep for up to 5 days in a sealed container. Not that they will last that long.
Enjoy!xxx
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