How famous mince pies will make thousands for charity
The Mince Pie Project, now in its third year, asks 100 top chefs to each create two boxes of signature mince pies of their own design; one box will be sold to the highest bidder at a week-long online auction starting this Friday (6), and the other will be put into a £2-a-ticket raffle, which anyone can take part in.
Last year the project raised a staggering £30,000 for charity, and with this year’s line-up including the likes of GBBO winner Frances Quinn, Michel Roux Jr, Fiona Cairns, Sat Baines, Tom Aikens and Angela Hartnett, it’s bound to do just as well – if not better – this Christmas.
Michel Roux Jr., who is making a classic mince pie with a ‘French twist’, said that he was “excited” to take part, and that he was looking forward to a bit of “healthy competition to raise money for a great cause”. This year, The Mince Pie Project has decided to donate all proceeds to two charities: FoodCycle and Kids Company.
Part of the fun will be seeing whose mince pies generate the most money – last year Dan Doherty took the crown, raising an amazing £1,900 for his box of gingerbread-flavoured mince pies.
This year’s Mince Pie Project will begin at noon on Friday 6th December and end at noon on Friday 13th December. For updates, please visit www.themincepieproject.com or follow @mincepieproject on Twitter.
Marcus Wareing's entry - 'boozy and brazen' mince pies, with frangipane
Marcus Wareing of The Gilbert Scott has entered a boozy number, made from prunes, cranberries, homemade frangipane, and a great big slosh of Amaretto (main picture, above). Follow the recipe below to make your own!
Ingredients
For the mince mix- 1 large cooking apple, peeled then grated
- 1 orange, zest only
- 50 g pitted prunes, finely chopped
- 25 g dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1 tsp black treacle
- 500 g Christmas fruit mincemeat
- 100 g butter, softened
- 100 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 100 g ground almonds
- 50 g flour
- 25 g Amaretto (or a drop or two of almond essence)
- 75 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 pinch table salt
- 40 g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 medium free range egg, beaten
- 150 g plain flour
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Dessert
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 15 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Make the pastry first by creaming the butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the salt and egg and mix well; add the flour and combine until the dough just comes together (if you overwork the dough, it will alter the crispness of the finished product). Turn out onto a floured bench and shape into a circle.
- Clingfilm and refrigerate the dough until firm. Dip it into flour, then place on a sheet of baking paper. Roll out to approximately 3mm thick, flour well, and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove and, using a circle cutter, cut out the desired circle sizes you require.
- For the mince mix: combine all the ingredients and set aside.
- For the frangipane: cream the butter and sugar then fold in the remaining ingredients and combine well. Place into a piping bag and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 180C. To assemble the tarts: line a tart tray with pastry discs, then 2/3 fill with the mince mix. Pipe a good dollop of frangipane on top then place in the oven until the frangipane turns a pale golden colour (approximately 15 minutes). If you wish, douse with a good splash of Amaretto when they come out of the oven. Allow to cool before eating.
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