Mini Kitchen Project: Mince Pie Biscuits

Hello,

Welcome to a bonus mini edition of Kitchen Projects! As well as sharing a take on a mince pie, I just wanted to drop into your inbox to say hello.

I’ll be back with a regular long read on Sunday 10th January. I might pop in for another mini edition in the festive period but if I don’t see you, let me take this moment to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

It goes without saying that this year has thrown us. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’ve chosen to subscribe to this newsletter and I love being connected to you all. I can’t wait to continue on this journey of baking together.

I know that cooking and baking have been my ballast this year – at times when things felt like they were falling apart, a cannoli or a slice of cake had the magical power of holding things together again. It’s those seemingly small ‘wins’ of a perfectly frilly nata or an epically smooth cheesecake that are able to shift the balance.

So, when all feels lost, I hope you always remember that your love for baking (regardless of skills!) is always there for you, ready to remind you that almost all problems are easier to solve when there’s something sweet on hand to mull it over with. 

While 2020 has provided a pretty lively backdrop for my stuck-at-home R&D, I hope – for us all – that next year is a lot less dramatic.

See you soon.

Lots of love
Nicola

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The mince pie conundrum

In today’s mini edition of Kitchen Projects, I’m offering up a festive biscuit alternative that lets you dip your toe into the mince pie pool.

Ever been called a grinch for shying away from mince pies? Well, you’re not alone. I am a real mince pie sceptic. It’s not the flavour, nor the concept (I love a seasonal special and come January am already gagging to make hot cross buns), it’s the sheer volume of fruit mince involved.

While I am grateful to the Victorians for inventing the outline of the modern Christmas I enjoy today, I’ve always shied away from intensely Victorian flavours present in fruit mince. There’s something overwhelming about the intense mixture of cloves, peels, cinnamon and nutmeg that turns me off.

Before I get skewered, please know that I have a huge appreciation for the flavour profile of mince pies but that huge deep-dish style mouthful is simply too much for me. I can’t get enough of the fruit tinged pastry but the mince itself… I just can’t get on board.

Growing up I would sheepishly nibble around the mince meat when visiting relatives. The jammy fruit soaked pastry was heaven to me – the rest? No thanks. Everytime I walk into a room with mince pies, I’m always sure to survey the space looking for emergency fruit-dump bins to chuck the filling in – and napkins to help cover my Christmassy crime.

This year I decided it would have to be different: it was time to cast aside the shame of my mince pie scepticism and instead of berating myself for not being christmassy enough, I would find a way that I could enjoy mince pies on my terms.

Taking inspiration from Garibaldi, I’ve erm.. ‘hacked’ the mince pie concept and here I offer my alternative: the mince pie biscuit. 

By sandwiching the mince meat in between two thin pieces of classic buttery shortcrust pastry, I was able to amp up the things I LOVED about the mince pie and ditch the bits that weren’t serving me.

So, shall we get on to the recipe? Although to be honest, this week, it’s more about a concept that it is a recipe! I haven’t even made my own mince, but this biscuit would also work fabulously well with jam or any other lovely sweet, spready thing you’d like to sandwich inside it.

Let’s do this!

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Mince Pie Garibaldi Biscuits

Shortcrust Pastry

• 200g plain flour

• 100g butter, cubed and cold

• 15g egg (save the rest for egg wash)

• 15g water 

• 6g sugar (about 1.5 teaspoons)

• 3g salt (about ½ a teaspoon)

PLUS

• Approx 125g of fruit mince or whatever you’d like to spread inside

• Demerara or granulated sugar for sprinkling

Method

• Place flour, sugar and salt into a bowl and mix until all the ingredients are well distributed

• Add your cold cubed butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs

  

• Now add your egg and water. Using a knife, distribute the wets through the flour/butter

  

• Once you can no longer see the liquids, tip your mixture onto a clean work surface and work together briefly with your hands until homogenous

  

• Roll out the dough in between two pieces of paper - this will mean you don’t need to add flour

  

• The dough should be quite thin (a few mm, but you be the final judge) once it is rolled to the approx size of a baking tray - around 10 inch x 15 inch

  

• Peel back the top piece of paper and briefly fold the pastry in half to establish the centre of your pastry. Cut it in half down the centre

  

• Spread your fruit mince on the pastry - I used about 120g but it will depend on what you’re using. You want a decent spread - you can pick the thickness! Be aware you don’t want to spread all the way to the edges as it will spread out a bit when you put the pastry on top

  

• Once you’re happy, fold the other half of the pastry on top and press down gently to adhere the two together. Don’t press too hard at this stage or else it’ll all squish out the edges

  

• Transfer tray into the freezer for around 10 minutes until firm. Once chilled, you have the opportunity to press down on the pastry a bit more if it’s a bit thick in places. You can use a rolling pin and roll over it a few times, too

• Pre-heat your oven to 170c

• Now egg wash your chilled pastry rectangle and sprinkle sugar on top - I like to use demerara but granulated would be nice too. Caster sugar won’t work well here - you need something with a bit of bite

  

  

• Return your pastry to the freezer for another 10 mins until the egg wash has set

• Now trim your pastry and cut into your desired shape - I like approx 1.5 inch x 3.5 inch

  

  

• Place onto baking tray and bake in your hot oven for around 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp

• Enjoy with a glass of wine, cup of tea or mulled wine, that festive middle ground between the two

• Store in an airtight container for… well, I think these would last a long time. But lets say a week just to be safe