Fruity Mincemeat
Tart With Lebkuchen Crumble
Today I'll be showing you how to make the
most of the base heat function for pastry
and also how the browning functionis useful for
finishing off whilst keeping things warm.
This fruity mincemeat tart went down a storm at a
Christmas party yesterday, so I thought I'd share it with you. My
friends liked it because it is less sweet and heavy than standard
mince pies, so you feel like you've had your mince pie but don't
get that stodgy feeling. It is very simple to make, as it's just a
case of stewing some fruit, throwing some pastry together and then
crumbling some ready-made biscuits.
If you wanted to make this even easier you could use bought
mincemeat but I would definitely recommend adding some extra lemon
and orange zest if you do.
The joy of the base heat functionis that you
don't have to worry about soggy bottoms on your pastry. No blind
baking needed, and we all know that avoiding extra steps at this
time of year is definitely a bonus.
Fruity mincemeat filling:
2 cinnamon sticks
2 medium apples, cored, peeled and chopped finely
4 plums, chopped finely
375g mixed dried fruit (mine was raisins, sultanas and
candied peel)
175ml Orange juice
2tsp mixed spice
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp ginger
½ tsp grated nutmeg
1 tbsp grated orange zest
115ml brandy
Cinnamon brown sugar pastry:
150g plain flour
50g wholemeal flour
4 tsp of cinnamon (I like mine really strong so you could use
less)
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
140g butter, straight from the fridge
70g light muscavado sugar
15g dark muscavado sugar
1 egg yolk
Lebkuchen crumble topping:
A knob of butter
A pack of ready-made Lebekuchen, broken down to a crumble
consistency (I used 15 biscuits)
Optional decorations:
Edible glitter, cinnamon sticks, ribbon, silver leaf
To make the filling:
Melt the butter, sugar, orange juice and spices together in a
saucepan on a gentle heat, with the cinnamon stick in it to infuse
the mixture.
Add the apples, plums, dried fruit and orange zest and stir
well.
Turn the heat up and simmer away while you make the pastry - 15
mins should be enough but you want the liquid to reduce down and
the mixture to be making a jam-like substance. Be careful not to
let it boil over.
To make the pastry:
Chop the cold butter into cubes.
Put the flour, cinnamon and butter into a bowl and rub together
until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can also do this by
pulsing in a food processor.
Into the centre, add the egg yolk and 1 tbsp of cold water.
Carefully bring the mixture together bit by bit until you have a
lump of dough. You'll probably need an extra 1tbsp of water, but
see how it feels.
Put the dough on a floured surface and knead very briefly until
it is holding together and smooth.
Put in a sandwich bag and chill for 30 mins
Now check on your filling.
Add the brandy, bubble for a bit longer and then take off the
heat and set to one side.
Preheat the oven to 200C on the Base Heat
setting.
After 30mins, carefully roll out your pastry to 1/2cm thick (or
as thin as you dare) and
line a flan dish with it. Tip: if you can't get the pastry to
roll out thin enough, you can always cheat by cutting thin slices
of it, lining the dish and then pressing them all together.
Pour the filling into the pastry case and place on the bottom
shelf of the oven to cook for 30mins (but check after 20)
When the tart is cooked, take it out and turn your oven
to the browning setting.
Crumble your Lebkuchen, melt a little butter in a saucepan and
lightly sauté the crumbs. Mix with edible glitter if you desire.
You can also add extra cinnamon or other spices to taste, depending
on your biscuits.
Sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the tart and put it back
into the oven on the top shelf.
Leave to toast the crumbs for a few minutes (keep checking if
you are worried about burning)
This tart is lovely warm but also holds its shape and flavour
really well as a cold dish.
I'd recommend serving with crème fraiche but you could go for
ice-cream, custard, brandy sauce - whatever takes your fancy.
