Its that most wonderful time of the year! The four weeks before Christmas when I can eat my weight in mince tarts and, in all truth, mincemeat anything. Have I told you how much I love mincemeat! I adore it and can't get enough of it at this time of the year.
The mincemeat I am talking about here is that spicy fruity concoction that you eat predominantly at Christmas in the form of Mince Tarts. I always go through oodles of it because it is such a versatile store cupboard ingredient to have in the house. I often make my own. You can find that recipe here. It is lovely and fruity and just a tiny bit boozy.
I am a person who likes to keep ingredients and foods special. You won't see me eating Cadbury mini eggs or hot cross buns in July or December. I think keeping things for their intended seasons helps to keep them special.
That doesn't mean that when they are in "season" I don't pig out and enjoy them as much as I can! Keeping things in season helps to maintain the integrity of their deliciousness! That's my story and I am sticking to it!
When I saw this Puff Pastry Mince Pie Squares Recipe on The Last Food Blog a few weeks ago I immediately knew that it was one I would want to bake during the holiday season.
These tarts are composed of two of my all time favorite things. All butter Puff Pastry and Mincemeat. Put the two together and I am in holiday heaven!
I always keep all butter puff pastry in my freezer. It is such a handy store cupboard ingredient to have on hand and comes in handy for all sorts.
You can use it for things like these tarts, or you can use it to top meat pies. Spread with pizza sauce and some pepperoni and cheese, rolled up tightly and cut into thick slices it makes really tasty pizza rolls.
Sweet or savory, there really is no end to what you can do with it. I buy mine at the Super Store here in Canada. It is the PC brand. I only buy all butter puff pastry.
I have made it from scratch in the past, but it is a rather laborious task with all of the rolling and folding, laminating the dough, etc. If I can get away with buying it rather than making it I will. It saves a lot of time and energy and these days there are some really great brands out there.
Oddly enough it was not until I moved to the U.K. that I really began enjoying mincemeat. The mincemeat I had grown up with actually had ground meat in it, usually beef or deer meat. I was not overly fond of that at all.
In days gone by mixing ground meat with fruits and spices was a way of preserving it through the Winter months. By Victorian times in the UK, however, meat had largely been dropped from the recipe and these days prepared mincemeat contains no meat at all, with the exception of a bit of suet, which gives it a lovely sheen and rich flavor.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PUFF PASTRY MINCE PIE SQUARES
Just a few simple ingredients. Quick and easy to make, these are a really tasty version of a mince tart!
- 1/2 jar (1 cup/250g) prepared mince meat
- the finely grated zest of one clementine
- 1 sheet of all butter puff pastry
- 1 small free range egg, beaten with a bit of water
- some demerara sugar to sprinkle
- 3 1/2 TBS (25g) chopped toasted pecans
- icing sugar to dust (optional)
Here in Canada our puff pastry comes in a square sheet, which is just right cut into 9 even squares. In the U.K. it is more of a rectangular shape. I am talking the ready rolled puff pastry, not the block that you roll out yourself.
You can totally leave the clementine zest out of the mincemeat if you wish, but it really does add a lovely hint of citrus to the mix.
The original recipe used chopped walnuts, but my family prefers pecan nuts. Whichever nut you choose it is always nice to toast your nuts first. This is very easily done.
I toast my nuts a whole bag at a time. Just spread them out onto a baking sheet and pop into a moderate oven. Toast for about 8 minutes until they smell nice and nutty. Leave to cool and then store in a zip lock baggie in the freezer.
You will have ready toasted nuts at your behest for a great while to come! I just think toasted nuts taste nuttier! You will really taste the difference if you make the effort.
If I am not using my own homemade mincemeat I purchase it at the shops. You can find it in most stores here in Canada. I prefer to buy the British brand online however if I am going to buy it. I just think it tastes nicer and is a lot fruitier.
Since I use rather a lot of it, it is worth it to me. I buy mine through Blighty's which is an online British food supplier here in Canada.
HOW TO MAKE PUFF PASTRY MINCE PIE SQUARES
When I call these a doddle to make I am speaking truth!
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with some baking parchment.Unroll your puff pastry, leaving it on the paper it was wrapped up in. Cut into equally sized squares. (In Canada I got 9. In the UK you will get 12)Score the center of each square using a sharp round biscuit cutter, taking care not to cut all the way through. Transfer to the baking sheet, leaving space between each on the tray.Whisk the mincemeat together with the grated clementine zest. Spoon a portion into the scored circles, dividing it equally. Sprinkle a bit of chopped pecans on top of each.Beat the egg with some water and brush around the edges of each square. Sprinkle with some demerara sugar.Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Leave to cool on a baking rack and then dust lightly with some icing sugar.Serve warm or cold, with or without cream or custard, or even a scoop of ice cream.
Pardon me for speaking with my mouth full but I can't get enough of these beautiful crisp, buttery, flaky tarts. Oh my goodness! Such a simple creation and yet oh so tasty.
You need to make these at least once during the festive period. Prepare yourself to fall in love! Quick and easy to make, and oh so tasty!
If you are like me and you adore mincemeat creations, then you might also enjoy the following:
MINCEMEAT AND ORANGE MEUSLI MUFFINS - A doddle to put together and yet incredibly special. What you have here is a delicious, moist muffin, flavored with, ground almonds, some orange marmalade and orange liqueur . . . I used Grand Marnier, but you could use any orange liqueur that you like, or even just orange juice if you don't want to use alcohol. You don't need a lot, just a teaspoon. These are fabulous!
APPLE AND MINCEMEAT PUDDING -At the base of this fabulous dessert is a layer of Bramley cooking apples which are chopped and mixed with some lemon juice, zest and brown sugar. This gets topped with a lovely cake sponge topping which is riddled with mincemeat. Altogether this makes for a lovely holiday pudding, especially served warm spooned into bowls with lashings of cream or custard drizzled over top.
Puff Pastry Mince Pie Squares
Yield: 9 - 12Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 MinCrisp, buttery holiday tastiness! Quick, easy and delicious! Betcha can't eat just one!Ingredients
- 1/2 jar (1 cup/250g) prepared mince meat
- the finely grated zest of one clementine
- 1 sheet of all butter puff pastry
- 1 small free range egg, beaten with a bit of water
- some demerara sugar to sprinkle
- 3 1/2 TBS (25g) chopped toasted pecans
- icing sugar to dust (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with some baking parchment.
- Unroll your puff pastry, leaving it on the paper it was wrapped up in. Cut into equally sized squares. (In Canada I got 9. In the UK you will get 12)
- Score the center of each square using a sharp round biscuit cutter, taking care not to cut all the way through. Transfer to the baking sheet, leaving some space in between each on the tray.
- Whisk the mincemeat together with the grated clementine zest. Spoon a portion into the scored circles, dividing it equally. Sprinkle a bit of chopped pecans on top of each.
- Beat the egg with some water and brush around the edges of each square. Sprinkle with some demerara sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Leave to cool on a baking rack and then dust lightly with some icing sugar.
- Serve warm or cold, with or without cream or custard, or even a scoop of ice cream.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchenThese are so good. I inhaled two of them before I knew it. Yes, they are that dangerous!
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