Page 49 - Real-Rochdale-07

Brandy

Butter

Brandy butter goes
perfectly with these
mince pies. You will need
soft butter, so make sure
you get the butter out
of the fridge a few hours
before you start to make
the brandy butter.

Ingredients:
125g soft butter
125g icing sugar
45ml brandy

Beat the butter and
icing sugar together until
smooth. The more you
beat it, the fluffier it will
become.

Add the brandy and beat
again. Check for taste
and add more brandy if
desired.

Lay a second square of filo pastry over the first diagonally so that you’re making a star shape.
Brush this with melted butter too. Lift the filo pastry and gently push it into a muffin tin so that the
edges stick up out of the hole. Make another 11 of these so you have a tray full.

Spoon a generous teaspoon of mincemeat into the bottom of each pastry cup then add a dessert
spoon full of sponge mixture over the mincemeat.

Bake the mince pies at 180°C for around 15 minutes until the sponge has cooked and when you
press it gently the top springs back.

Dust the mince pies with a little icing sugar and serve as soon as they’re cool enough to eat. Be
careful you don’t burn your mouth on the mincemeat in your haste to eat them!

You will have enough mincemeat to make at least 24 mince pies (possibly more). If you do have
some left over, sterilise a jar and store the mincemeat in there until you’re ready to make
some more.

There are some people in my family who don’t like dried fruit (don’t ask me why). For these I use
the same technique but substitute jam for the mincemeat. These are delightful too, but for me, you
just can’t beat a mince pie at Christmas.

49 49 REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER 2019real rochdale - winter 2019