The 7th bite of Christmas to nibble round the tree is... a double dozen of magnificent mini mince pies #12BitesOfChristmas

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The 7^th bite of Christmas is great with a cup of tea…

 And technically, you only need two ingredients...

·        pastry

(The one I’ve used is the well-behaved sweet crust pastry from the Bakewell Tart recipe in Alchemy: Simple Ingredients… Magical Food. It is a buttery, crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth pastry I tend to use for all sweet tarts and pies – if you are following the recipe, I’ve substituted vanilla extract for the almond extract mentioned - but you can always use a commercial pastry if buttery, crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth is not your thing.

·        mincemeat

I’ve used the mincemeat recipe I put on the blog a few weeks ago (on this occasion I left out the almonds and increased the walnuts according, and I left out the cranberries and doubled the amount of mixed peel for a satisfyingly orangey note.) The actual work involved in making the mincemeat is minimal, however you will need a little time to let it cook gently – preferably make it the day before at the very least to give the flavours time to meld. Or you can buy it.

You will also need mini muffin tins – I have two x 12 hole tins  - this recipe makes 24; a 6cm round cutter; and a cutter just big enough to cut out circles to make the lids– or shaped cutters like I’ve used

 For 24 magnificent mini mince pies, you will need...
...to preheat the oven to 180°C when ready to bake

470g short crust pastry (see introduction above)

250g mincemeat (homemade or commercial)

a little milk to stick down the lids and glaze (optional)

a little icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 3mm – the thickness of a euro or a pound coin. Using the 6cm round cutter, stamp out 24 rounds of pastry and use to line the mini muffin tins.

Re-roll the scraps if needed...

Stamp out 24 lids using a smaller round cutter and or shaped cutters just big enough to reach right to the edges of the muffin tin holes – stars are very Christmassy. You may need to gather up the scraps of pastry and reform into a smooth ball before re-rolling and cutting out the rest of the tops. No biggie.

Divide the mincemeat between the pastry cups – they will take a small teaspoon of the filling – don’t be overgenerous or the filling will burst out of the pies during cooking.

Don't be overgenerous with the filling or it will burst out of its pastry shell...

Cover the filled cups with a pastry lid moistened with a little water – or milk if using. (Lightly brushing the lids with milk will help to brown them). Chill for about 30 minutes then bake in a pre-heated oven for between 12 and 15 minutes or until evenly golden brown.

Remove from the tins and leave to cool on cooling tray. Dust with icing sugar.

Mince Pies ... Hygge Heaven!!!

They are delicious at room temperature or gently heated and served with vanilla ice cream, or a little brandy cream or brandy butter.

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Quesadillas – hot as a temper tantrum, cheesy as furry dice

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One of my in-laws often transports horses and is used to dealing with shockingly impatient road behaviour and aggression as she carts her vulnerable cargo around. Over the years, she has developed a weapon which she fires at the offending driver. It envelopes them and their vehicle in a cloud of bright pink fluff, rendering them as harmless as a giant marshmallow. This all happens in her imagination but it makes her feel much better and allows her to continue on her way calmly and serenely.

I should have thought of that when a bloke in a beat up land rover approached at speed in a 30km zone and glued himself to my tail. There was so little room between our vehicles that I could practically count the spots on his furry dice. He started a hooting and a hollering and a shaking his fist.

Was there bright pink fluff? Was there calmness and serenity? Nope, I raised a very unladylike middle finger. For some strange reason that did nothing to calm him whatsoever! Though we were soon on a dual carriageway, where he could easily overtake, he stayed with me for miles, red as a beetroot (with embarrassment no doubt), bellowing out the window (what I can only assume were profuse apologies).

I had quesadillas for lunch. They were as cheesy as furry dice, laced with chilli as fiery as a temper tantrum, with a few other bits and pieces thrown like insults into the mix. I felt much better after demolishing two.

 

For each quesadilla, you will need…

1 corn tortilla

35g cheese – I used half mature cheddar, half mozzarella, grated

approximately 1 heaped tablespoon of filling, prepared before you start cooking.

 

Today’s filling was …

a little finely chopped spring onion

very finely sliced red pepper

finely sliced mushrooms

½ teaspoon of red chilli

 

You are only ever 5 minutes away from cheesy deliciousness.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When the pan is hot add the tortilla and heat it through by giving it about 10 seconds, then flipping it. Do this three more times (so, 40 seconds in total).

Now scatter the filling over half the tortilla, leaving a margin of about 1cm at the edge. Cover the filling with the cheese and fold the unfilled side over to make a half moon. Cook for about 2 minutes or until golden brown, patting gently with a spatula so that both sides of the quesadilla stick together as the cheese melts. Gently turn the quesadilla and continue cooking until the second side is golden brown. Remove from the pan, cut into wedges and serve immediately. I like sour cream or guacamole with mine.

 

 

Other favourites are:

• smoked salmon, dill, capers and cheddar
• bacon (pre-cooked), camembert and mozzarella
• chilli con carne, cheddar and mozzarella, and pickled jalapeños
• prosciutto, fresh basil (or basil pesto), and mozzarella. 

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