Page 48 - Real-Rochdale-07

Filo pastry mince pies

by Natasha Brown

owner of Brown’s Cakes

These mince pies with a twist are exceptional, they taste nothing like shop bought ones and are
incredibly moreish.

In addition to the ingredients listed below you will need a packet of filo pastry which is best
brought out of the fridge an hour beforehand to let it get to room temperature.

Start by making your own mincemeat. It’s a lot easier than you’d think and this recipe doesn’t
include any suet; it’s just packed full of fruit.

Mincemeat

Ingredients:
90g dried cranberries 75g butter
90g sultanas 110g light brown sugar
90g currants ½ tsp ground cinnamon
90g raisins ½ tsp mixed spice
1 apple Grated rind and juice of half a lemon
50g flaked almonds 100ml Amaretto

Peel and chop the apple and toss it in a large pan with all the other ingredients (except the Ama-
retto). Simmer gently over a low heat for 10 – 15 minutes.

Leave to cool then stir in the Amaretto (other alcohol can be used such as brandy, port or sherry
but I love the almond flavour of the Amaretto).

Mince Pies

To make the mince pies you will need a sponge mixture:

Ingredients:
125g self raising flour 2 eggs
125g Stork margarine 1tsp vanilla extract
125g caster sugar

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat them together until nice and smooth.

Now cut the filo pastry into pieces, approximately 10-15 cm square (or cut each sheet into eight
equal pieces).

Brush one side of a pastry square with melted butter (put a little butter in a bowl in the microwave
for 30 seconds to melt it).

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REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER 2019ochdale - winter 2019