Lorraine Pascale's Last Minute Mince Pies

 

It's six sleeps to Christmas and I'm playing catch up!! Last week I caught the dreaded flu, yuck! It was pretty awful, I spent days on end with a fever, too weak to walk and then to top it all off I got a chest infection!! 

So to say that my Christmas plans were put on hold is a understatement. I had huge plans for baking, blogging, card writing and shopping, alas all stopped! Now thanks to a large vat of antibiotics and plenty of rest I am recovering and back on track(ish).

If like me you are either out of time or just want really tasty and quick mince pies then this a post you might enjoy. I watched  Lorraine Pascale make these rather special star mince pies on her Last Minute Christmas Show last year, these are perfect for entertaining and are ready in a jiffy. The job will be even quicker if you buy sheets of ready rolled puff pastry (which I did), I'm planning on making plenty of batches of these this year......Enjoy!

Makes 9

Ingredients
500g Puff pastry pack (all butter puff pastry if possible)
9 tbsp Mincemeat
1tbsp Port
Vanilla extract
Orange zest
Icing sugar
Beaten egg
2tbsp Maple syrup (warmed)

Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/ 400ºF/Gas Mark 6, line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Roll the the puff pastry out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar or flour into a large square.

Cut into 10cm squares, using a sharp knife  (I used a pizza cutter) cut about 3cm into each corner. Meanwhile mix the mincemeat with the port, two drops of vanilla extract and a pinch of orange zest. Drop a tablespoon of the mincemeat mixture in the centre of each puff pastry square.

Brush the pastry with beaten egg then fold one corner into the centre, allowing for a slight overlap. Repeat with the other corners to make a windmill shape.

Add a pastry star on the top (use some of the egg to stick the star into place).

Dust liberally with icing sugar and bake until they are golden and firm (about 12-15 minutes) where they have puffed up on the sides. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Brush with maple syrup, sprinkle with icing sugar. Enjoy.