Mince pies bake day webchat with Dan Lepard, 29 November, 1-2pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Continuing our season of Christmas cookery webchats (Delia was first), we're delighted to announce that Dan Lepard will be joining us to chat about Christmas baking on Tues 29 Nov at 1pm.

Dan has kindly allowed us to share with Mumsnetters his mincemeat recipe and to make mince pies, his easy sweet shortcrust pastry and his gluten-free pastry recipes, all from his latest book, Short & Sweet, The Best of Home Baking.

This will be Dan's third visit to Mumsnet and, like we've done previously, we'll do a 'here's one we made earlier' and film Dan making his mince pies and upload the film post-webchat.

Do join him, or post any questions you've got about Christmas baking in advance.

[fruitshootsandheaves]

is that sharp corner beef or more of a gentle curve?

[DanLepard]

@Earthymama

Not a Christmassy ask, but a question re savoury tarts.
When I lived up North every visit home to my mother and grandmother meant there would be loads of baked goods available.
Coned beef tart remains a wonderful memory.
Any ideas for a veggie alternative? I do open tarts with tomato and cheese or a mushroom filling but would love to recreate that home coming feeling.
PS I like everything except goats cheese bleurgh!!

I think a mushroom and potato tart - fry mushrooms, remove from pan, fry onions and a little garlic, remove from pan, fry cook floury potatoes so they turn very slightly "bubble+squeak" crispy. The roll pastry, mix a little of all these ingredients with some chopped fresh sage and parsley, olive oil, kalamata olives and lots of black pepper and a little salt. Spoon a little of this into your tary case and bake, serve very hot.

[DanLepard]

@PrettyCandles

Can I share my best tip for handling delicate pastry, and in exchange squeeze in another question?

It is to roll the pastry between two sheets of clingfilm, and only remove one to transfer the pastry to the tin. Only remove the second sheet when you've finished tucking the pastry into the fluting(or whatever design of tin).

And my question is please oh ever so pretty please can I have a recipe for gingerbread that won't taste and feel cardboardy when we eat the gingerbread house?

Great tip. And for your gingerbread house, this is the recipe I'd use:
www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/nov/25/dan-lepard-christmas-baking-tips

[DanLepard]

That's it: you've got my head spinning with ideas, and now my appetite is stirred (and shaken). Have just eaten, now need more mince pies. Thanks for being so cool and lovely!
Dan x

[Solo]

Thanks Dan :)

[PrettyCandles]

No treacle?!

Thanks

I shall now have to experiment and bake three batches: one with butter, one with Vitalite, and one with Sainsburys Bake.

Oh. Dear. How. Will. I. Cope.

[midnightexpress]

Oh oh I have a good alternative to mince pies for non-pastry lovers. Mincemeat muffins! They sound horrid, but are actually really delicious. I got the recipe in the muffins book that they used to sell in Lakeland. Not sure if they still have it, as mine is a few years old, but well worth hunting down.

[Earthymama]

Thanks Dan, guess what I'll be making for our Pre Christmas get together?
I'll send you a BIG Cwtch from the Valleys for that.
Just to say my Nanna was the cook at Rose Heyworth Colliery from WW2 til she retired in the 70s. She made the most amazing pastry and when I left home to go to uni I thought I would ask her for the recipe. She just spooned the flour into a bowl and added 'this much' fat, a mix of lard and butter. 'This much' was the length of her thumb!!
What pleasure and joy baking brings, I don't indulge too often as my eyes are bigger than my stomach and I want to keep it that way
Bright Blessings for Yuletide to all the Pastry cooks and Thanks again Dan xx

[Solo]

Ahem! GeraldineMumsnet!!! I think Dan has finished! Put the mince pie down dear!!

[Earthymama]

Oh damn you iPhone!! If it's going to predict what I say can't the bloody thing think what I mean as well!

[ppeatfruit]

Thanks so much and Happy Christmas to you and yours Dan

Solo!!! we're missing you on the p.m. thread !!

[Solo]

I'm there pp :)

[GeraldineMumsnet]

@Solo

Ahem! GeraldineMumsnet!!! I think Dan has finished! Put the mince pie down dear!!

Sorry , had to go into a meeting immediately after Dan finished and forgot to post.

Big thanks to Dan and to everyone who took part. :)

Having watched Dan make the mincemeat, I can vouch for how simple it is - and how lovely it makes the house smell. Delicious!

We'll post once ShadeMumsnet has edited the videos, so you can have a look.

I have eaten my body weight in Christmas cake, mince pies and goat's cheese in the past week. It has been great.

[sandy06]

Just want to say a big THANK YOU to Dan Lepard for taking the time to provide a Gluten Free Shortbread Recipe x

[senua]

Isn't Dan lovely. I didn't actually ask a question and I slipped in a reference to Delia but he was still polite enough to acknowledge my post! And so many ideas and recipes ...
He's a star.

[Solo]

[AgentProvocateur]

Oh, I'm gutted I missed this. Can I add my question just in case Dan's still lurking anyone else can help?

I've made the Marrakesh Express Loaf cake from your his new book, and I followed the quantities etc exactly. I ended up with enough mixture to fill two large loaf tins, and although the outside crust was delicious, the inside was horribly gooey and sticky, no matter how long I cooked it for. I kept putting them back for another 10 minutes and another 10 minutes and another 10 minutes...

It tasted OK, but it was a bit offputting having to eat it with a spoon. I want it to cut like a loaf and look like a loaf, like the picture in the book.

[MayaAngelCool]

He knows my name! He knows my name!

[BadTasteFlump]

Thank you so much Dan for the recipe (and for typing my name)

[DanLepard]

Hi AgentProvocateur, that?s an odd one, will look into it and interesting that you ended with double the amount for the recipe. Curiously, it?s a well tested recipe from the book: besides the Guardian food team back in 2008 (they make the recipe for the weekly pic, without my help), Sainsbury?s team tested it again for the November issue, and others just recently online:
spatulasatdawn.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/short-sweet/
www.flickr.com/photos/vegefoodie/4063673210/
and the problem you had didn?t come up. Will keep an eye on it though.

And really enjoyed the questions!

[bagelmonkey]

He's been back!!!!

[AgentProvocateur]

Oh, thanks so much. Having looked at those links, I'm prepared to accept that the error is mine . Everything else I've made from the book has been great. I'll try the Marrakesh loaf again and concentrate more when I'm making it.

I'm now going to try these savoury choux buns that are on the spatulasatdawn blog

[ShadeMumsnet]

Watch Dan's step-by-step video on how to make his delicious suet-free mince pies.

[SantaffetaClaus]

Great vid. Loving the removeable tart tin base scraper idea.

I shall be making some for freezing tomorrow!

[MayaAngelCool]

I think I am I'm love with Dan Lepard. What a lovely man. And he bakes! Dan, are you married? Oh, I am! Damn!