Ive done it, Ive opened up the inevitable floodgates that for me surround mince pies.
Like my own dearest scrooge of a husband, there will be those of you who wont want to acknowledge or entertain the fact that Christmas, with all its battery powered fairy lights, misshapen evergreens and over faced frantic human beings is rapidly sledging full force down a freshly snow covered vertical slope towards us.There is nothing you can do, at every supermarket you enter there will be huge selections of tins of crackers to choose from that no - one normally bothers with the rest of the year round, in the street you'll do hard not to bump into at least 5 people wearing similar variations of a Santa's hat, in the car the radio will be festively blasting out Whams ' Last Christmas' seamlessly faded into Sir Cliffs ' Christmas Time '( mistletoe and wine), Watching the television wont take your mind off it either as the barrage of adverts selling the most coveted Christmas items will worm their way into your misanthropistic mind and try to spread their money spending thoughts throughout your brain, oh and don't bother to sit there in silence muttering miserably about what a waste of money Christmas is to yourself, it wont be long before there will be a gentle rat - a - tat - tat at your door followed by a charming chippy chorus of ' Deck the halls ' that will threaten to engulf your ear drums in joyous cheer.
Swallow back all that yuletide anarchy, release the nativity negativity and embrace what without some message from a messiah that god wants Christmas banned is inevitably going to happen year after year after year.
I, on the other hand take the earliest festive signs and wrap my arms so physically tightly round them, I literally squeeze out every little last tinsel covered drop until they fade from my grasp and drift off to their seasonal slumber, lying patiently in wait for the festivities to begin again.
So to only mention the words Mince Pie and Christmas now, i think i deserve a virtual pat on the back.
There is no other way to say it - I LOVE mince pies, at my endeavor i would sample any that may come my way, but there has to be something to be said about eating the first home - made mince pie of the season.
You can keep all your shop bought, foil trayed, perfectly embellished variety's, your own handcrafted version may be seeping molten mincemeat from its overfilled interior, it may have a wet, clay like casing, but I'm telling you now that you will never EVER match that warmhearted feeling that sprinkles your very insides with fairy like dried fruit flavoured dust and encapsulates your soul, wrapping up your heart like a precisely wrapped Christmas present sealed with an enormous red bow.
The wonderfully imaginative Heston Blumenthal may have formulated the unimaginable by creating a pine cone induced scent that fills your dwelling with the incense of a Norwegian forest, but is there anything more satisfyingly serene than the aroma of your own crispy baked jubilant creations permeating from your oven being inhaled by those who are within close proximity encapsulating them fully with the undoubtedly true feeling of Christmas.
Mince Pies ( one of many I'm sure )
170g plain flour, sifted with a pinch of salt
100g chilled butter cut into cubes
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 large free range egg yolk
1- 2 tablespoons cold water
Cold hands are a must
1 jar of good quality mincemeat
Stir the sugar into the flour and rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the water to the egg yolk and whisk briskly with a fork until it is a little frothy
Using a palette knife start to cut through the breadcrumb mixture whilst adding small amounts of the egg yolk mixture.
When the mixture begins to come together use your hands to bring it all together in a ball
Flatten your ball of pastry slightly, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20mins
Once chilled pre heat the oven to 180oc and grease a fairy cake tin generously
Dust your surface with some flour and roll out your pastry to about 3mm thick
Using the appropriate sized cutters cut larger circles for the base and a slightly smaller sized circle for the top
Place the larger sized circle in the base of the tins and put around 1 1/2 teaspoons of mincemeat mixture then gently place the pie lid on top
Once all the pastry is used up and all the pies are made put the whole tray in the fridge for another 10 Min's
Beat an egg and brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash the place in the oven for around 15 - 20mins or until the feeling of Christmas starts to fill your lungs and you feel like bouncing around your kitchen like Noddy Holder singing ' So Here It Is Merry Christmas ' .
Like my own dearest scrooge of a husband, there will be those of you who wont want to acknowledge or entertain the fact that Christmas, with all its battery powered fairy lights, misshapen evergreens and over faced frantic human beings is rapidly sledging full force down a freshly snow covered vertical slope towards us.There is nothing you can do, at every supermarket you enter there will be huge selections of tins of crackers to choose from that no - one normally bothers with the rest of the year round, in the street you'll do hard not to bump into at least 5 people wearing similar variations of a Santa's hat, in the car the radio will be festively blasting out Whams ' Last Christmas' seamlessly faded into Sir Cliffs ' Christmas Time '( mistletoe and wine), Watching the television wont take your mind off it either as the barrage of adverts selling the most coveted Christmas items will worm their way into your misanthropistic mind and try to spread their money spending thoughts throughout your brain, oh and don't bother to sit there in silence muttering miserably about what a waste of money Christmas is to yourself, it wont be long before there will be a gentle rat - a - tat - tat at your door followed by a charming chippy chorus of ' Deck the halls ' that will threaten to engulf your ear drums in joyous cheer.
Swallow back all that yuletide anarchy, release the nativity negativity and embrace what without some message from a messiah that god wants Christmas banned is inevitably going to happen year after year after year.
I, on the other hand take the earliest festive signs and wrap my arms so physically tightly round them, I literally squeeze out every little last tinsel covered drop until they fade from my grasp and drift off to their seasonal slumber, lying patiently in wait for the festivities to begin again.
So to only mention the words Mince Pie and Christmas now, i think i deserve a virtual pat on the back.
There is no other way to say it - I LOVE mince pies, at my endeavor i would sample any that may come my way, but there has to be something to be said about eating the first home - made mince pie of the season.
You can keep all your shop bought, foil trayed, perfectly embellished variety's, your own handcrafted version may be seeping molten mincemeat from its overfilled interior, it may have a wet, clay like casing, but I'm telling you now that you will never EVER match that warmhearted feeling that sprinkles your very insides with fairy like dried fruit flavoured dust and encapsulates your soul, wrapping up your heart like a precisely wrapped Christmas present sealed with an enormous red bow.
The wonderfully imaginative Heston Blumenthal may have formulated the unimaginable by creating a pine cone induced scent that fills your dwelling with the incense of a Norwegian forest, but is there anything more satisfyingly serene than the aroma of your own crispy baked jubilant creations permeating from your oven being inhaled by those who are within close proximity encapsulating them fully with the undoubtedly true feeling of Christmas.
Mince Pies ( one of many I'm sure )
170g plain flour, sifted with a pinch of salt
100g chilled butter cut into cubes
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 large free range egg yolk
1- 2 tablespoons cold water
Cold hands are a must
1 jar of good quality mincemeat
Stir the sugar into the flour and rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the water to the egg yolk and whisk briskly with a fork until it is a little frothy
Using a palette knife start to cut through the breadcrumb mixture whilst adding small amounts of the egg yolk mixture.
When the mixture begins to come together use your hands to bring it all together in a ball
Flatten your ball of pastry slightly, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20mins
Once chilled pre heat the oven to 180oc and grease a fairy cake tin generously
Dust your surface with some flour and roll out your pastry to about 3mm thick
Using the appropriate sized cutters cut larger circles for the base and a slightly smaller sized circle for the top
Place the larger sized circle in the base of the tins and put around 1 1/2 teaspoons of mincemeat mixture then gently place the pie lid on top
Once all the pastry is used up and all the pies are made put the whole tray in the fridge for another 10 Min's
Beat an egg and brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash the place in the oven for around 15 - 20mins or until the feeling of Christmas starts to fill your lungs and you feel like bouncing around your kitchen like Noddy Holder singing ' So Here It Is Merry Christmas ' .
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