Recipe from our Customer Connectivity Manager, Wilson, also a Home Economist and trained Chef

Recipe made by Head of Design, Kit deBretton Gordon and family

RECIPE

WILSON'S MINCE PIE RECIPE

Whether you love or hate them, this festive treat doesn’t need to be complicated to work.

The twist in this recipe is the pastry, which is brought to life with citrus and spices.

COOKING TIME:

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes + steeping time 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

350g Plain Flour

225g Cold Butter

1 Whole Large Egg

100g Golden Caster Sugar

1 tbsp Orange Zest

1 tsp Mixed spice

½ tsp Ground Cardamom

1 jar good quality Mincemeat (shop bought or homemade)

Egg/Milk wash

METHOD:

1 - Mix flour with ground spices, blend with butter in a food processor until breadcrumb consistency, then add the sugar, egg and orange zest and blend until it forms a ball. Remove from the processor, cling film and fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

2 - Preheat the oven to 200°C. Take out your pastry and roll onto a floured surface, roll out to a thickness just less than a pound coin. Using a round cutter cut out pastry to fit your mince pie trays and fill with a tablespoon of mince pie filling. Egg wash your edges and place a smaller round pastry disc on top. Crimp your edges and garnish with a few holly leaves stamped out. Finally finish with a light egg wash and a sprinkle of golden caster sugar.

3 - Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden and the pastry is cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing from the tray or they could break.

5 - Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks together with the remaining caster sugar until pale and creamy looking. Add the egg mixture to the infused milk and heat gently over a low heat. Stir continuously until the milk thickens to a custard consistency. The custard is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Spoon the custard into a clean bowl and to stop the custard from cooking any further, place the bowl in a sink filled with a little cold/iced water. Continue to stir intermittently as the custard cools.

6 - While the custard cools, whisk the cream until it is thick and forms soft peaks, being careful not to over whip.

7 - When the custard has cooled completely, carefully fold the whipped cream through the custard. Add the juice from one lemon and stir though. Taste and if needed, add the juice from the second lemon bit by bit until the preferred intensity of lemon flavour is achieved.

8 - Next, churn the custard in an ice cream maker* as per instructions.

9 - Place the ice cream in a freezable container either with a lid or a sheet of grease-proof paper over the top and then wrap securely in tin foil. Place in the freezer until ready to serve.

5 - When you’re ready to serve. Tear each of the smoked burrata in half and place a piece on each of your serving plates.

6 - Layer up with a few slices of roasted squash. Drizzle over the basil oil, sprinkle over the pomegranates and pistachios. Serve straight away.

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