zoom Rahul Mandal's breakfast mince pies

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    Rahul Mandal's breakfast mince pies

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    Rahul Mandal's breakfast mince pies

    • Preparation time: 45 mins, plus chilling and cooling
    • Cooking time: 35 minutes

    Makes: 12

    Ingredients

    2 x 320g all butter puff pastry sheets
    Plain flour, for dusting
    ½ x 410g jar Waitrose Christmas Mincemeat
    1 lemon, zest
    ½ orange, zest ½ tbsp juice
    11 glacé cherries, 5 chopped, 6 halved
    3 pieces stem ginger, chopped
    1 egg beaten
    Handful toasted flaked almonds
    50g icing sugar

    FOR THE ALMOND PASTRY CREAM
    65ml whole milk
    65ml double cream
    ½ tsp almond extract
    ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
    2 egg yolks
    20g caster sugar
    10g cornflour
    15g unsalted butter, chilled

    Method

    1. Take the pastry out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. For the pastry cream, heat the milk, cream, almond extract and vanilla paste in a saucepan over a medium heat until bubbles start to appear (don't let it boil). Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour until pale and fluffy. Pour the warm milk mixture onto the eggs, whisking constantly. Return to the pan and heat gently, whisking constantly until it starts to thicken (1-2 minutes), then take off the heat; whisk in the cold butter. Pour into a bowl and put a sheet of baking parchment directly on the surface; chill.

    2. Preheat the oven to 180˚C, gas mark 4. Line 2 baking trays with parchment. Unroll the pastry sheets and lightly dust with flour. Cut each sheet into 6 x 10cm squares and put on the baking trays; chill for 10 minutes. Mix the mincemeat with the zests, chopped cherries and ½ the ginger; set aside.

    3. Fold the squares diagonally in half. Use a sharp knife to cut 2 lines, running about 1cm from each edge, from the fold towards the point of the triangle, until they meet. Unfold the pastry and brush with a little beaten egg. Fold the left side of the cut pastry diamond over the right side and pull the right side underneath to the left, to create a twisted border. Prick the cavity with a fork. Repeat with the remaining pastry, then brush with egg and bake for 8-10 minutes.

    4. Put 1½ tsp pastry cream in each cavity and top with 1 tsp mincemeat. Bake for 12-15 minutes, swapping the trays halfway, until the tops are golden. Allow to cool on the baking trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. Mix the icing sugar and orange juice to form a runny icing. When the pies are cool, scatter over the almonds and remaining ginger. Drizzle over the icing and top each with a halved cherry before serving. 

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