Mincemeat flan

[Ishbel]

(For those who don't like too much pastry, but like the sweet mincemeat fillings in mincepies!). I've got 6 girlfriends coming for a wee cup of tea (and a gossip) later this afternoon - I've baked the pastry case, but will finish the flan just before they arrive, and I'll serve it with a generous helping of brandy butter on each slice.

Christmas starts here...

8 oz shortcrust pastry
caster sugar for sprinkling

Homemade mincemeat filling (or you could just buy a jar of really good, 'luxury' quality mincemeat)

1 cooking apple - small
2 oz butter
3 oz sultanas
3 oz raisins
3 oz currants
2 oz mixed peel (chopped small)
2 oz almonds (chopped)
grated zest of 1 large lemon
teaspoon ground mixed spice
1 tablespoon brandy
3 oz soft, brown sugar
1 banana, coarsely mashed

Heat oven to Gas mark 6/400F

Roll out pastry and use to line a 10 inch flan ring. Keep the pastry trimming in a plastic bag until you require it for the lattice decoration. Bake the pastry case blind. Remove lining paper and beans.

Prepare the mincement by grating the unpeeled apple. Melt the butter and add it to the apple, along with all the other mincemeat ingredients. Mix well to combine all the flavours and to let the brandy soak through the fruits.

Fill the cooked flan with the mincemeat. Cut the pastry timmings into thin strips and lattice across the top of the flan - stick the ends down with a little water. Brush the lattice with milk and then sprinkle with caster sugar. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes, removing the flan ring after five minutes or so to allow the sides of the pastry to bake to a pale brown.

Serve hot or cold - but it's best served freshly cooked with a melting chunk of brandy butter on top, which oozes into the mincemeat....

 

[Haggis]

I was thinking about doing fruit mince pies as something traditional (well sort-of traditional due to Scottish heritage) but I completely forgot about it and it's too late now. I would have had to prepare the filling 2 weeks in advance for the flavours to penetrate for the recipe I have.

 

[Psiguyy]

As Clara Peller would loudly wheeze:

Where's the beef???!!!


Actually, I know there's no meat in the pie. Funny thing is, it wasn't until 5 years ago that I learned mince meat pies didn't have any meat in it.

 

[Ishbel]

Originally there was real meat in mincepies - but the meat was often pretty 'ropey' and so they disguised it with fruits and spices like ginger and cinnamon..

Interestingly, they had an article in the newspaper about finding an old recipe book in the Foreign Office archives in London - with a recipe for a mincemeat pie that used minced beef, raisins, ginger, cinnamon etc. They cooked it - and then tried to persuade passersby on the street to try it... the concensus view seemed to be 'YUK'...

Haggis - in years gone by, I used to make and bottle my own mincemeat - but work commitments now mean that I am not quite the lady of leisure that I once was... Hence my tip to buy the expensive, luxury grade of ready-made mincemeat. But, the mixture in this flan isn't too shabby for something that hasn't aged in a nice dark pantry for 2-3 months!