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126 THE ENGLISH HOME THE ENGLISH HOME 127### CRANBERRY MINCE PIESMakes 24For the pastry:250g plain flour, plus extra to dust25g icing sugar125g chilled unsalted butter, dicedFinely grated zest of 1 orange1 medium egg, lightly beaten1-3 tsp ice-cold water (if needed)``````For the filling:400g jar good-quality mincemeat (or usethe recipe featured on this page)150g dried cranberries``````To finish:1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water, tomake an eggwash glazeIcing sugar or caster sugar, to dust- For the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar,butter and orange zest into a foodprocessor and whizz to fine crumbs. Withthe motor running, add the egg and whizzfor a few seconds until the mixture formsclumps and you can press it together intoa ball. (If necessary, add 1–3 tsp ice-coldwater to bring the dough together.) - Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes, or until firm. (The pastry can be made up to three days ahead, or frozen for up to a month.) - For the filling, turn the mincemeat into a bowl and stir in the dried cranberries. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is around 3mm thick. Using an 8cm fluted cutter, cut out 24 rounds and use to line two 12-hole, non-stick mince pie tins. - Re-roll the trimmings to the same thickness and stamp out 24 stars or Christmas trees, with an appropriate cutter, for the tops. Put a dessertspoonful of filling into each pastry case, then press the tops in position. Chill for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C. - Brush the tops with the eggwash, then bake the mince pies for 15–20 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from the tins and transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store an airtight container for up to one week. Warm slightly before serving, with a dusting of sugar. ■Recipes from a selection:Christmas, by GordonRamsay (Quadrille,£15) Photography byChris Terry.### MINCEMEATMakes about 1.25kg (enough for3 batches of mince pies)Peel and grate a large dessert appleinto a big bowl. Add the grated zestand juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange,then 110g suet, 240g raisins, 110gdiced dried apricots, 175g soft darkbrown sugar, 50g flaked almonds,1½ tsp ground allspice, 1 tspground cinnamon, ¾ tsp groundnutmeg, 50ml brandy and 50mldark rum. Stir well, then cover andchill for 30 minutes. If not usingimmediately, transfer into cleansterilised jars and store in the fridge.The mincemeat improves the longeryou let it mature, but should beused within 6 months.``````TEH UK DEC15 Food book extract.indd 127 22/10/2015 15:02