Mince Pies pastry.....how do u make yours?

[biglips]

just curious!

as ive made mine with

4oz stork (block)
8oz plain flour

its not bad but would like to make it yummier!

thanks

(ill might make the shortbread version one and see how that tastes)

I say 'oh dh I think dd would really enjoy making mince pies this afternoon' and retire for a nap

he does a ponceroony one with egg yolks and orange juice/zest

General discussion here from a few days ago

I use my mum's recipe

9oz plain flour
Pinch of salt
1oz ground almonds
6oz hard margarine or butter (I use block Stork)
3oz castor sugar (I don't use as much as this, at most 2oz)
Grated rind of half a lemon
2 tbsps single cream, top milk or evap (never tried evap here)
1 egg yolk

Mix flour, salt, almonds lemon rind and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter (or use processor). Mix the yolk and cream/milk on a saucer with a fork then add to the dry ingredients and mix to a dough. (It's quite soft). Wrap in foil and chill at least 1 hour.

It is very yummy

Comments in brackets are my mum's

A few tips - cold hands, a cold kitchen, a tablespoon of iced water and you must use a combination of butter and trex, all this helps to make the pastry nice and short.

idris.....yummy!! ill make sum more this weekend

many thanks.

run by me again about the cold hands? as i cannot rememeber why?

I have used the recipie from Joeybettany which was sent with the news email twice now - it's fab!! You can find it on the food page - basically it's plain flour and self-raising flour, and icing sugar and egg yolk - really crumbly and light like a rich flan pastry.

You don't need cold hands with my mum's one - I think it's somethign to do with not touching the pastry too much, but the pastry I do can stand up to anything