This Christmas people are once again in with a chance to get their mince pies made by the UK’s best chefs and restaurants as The Mince Pie Project returns, all in aid of charity. Already confirmed to take part are Michel Roux Jnr, Raymond Blanc, Marcus Wareing, Clare Smyth and Claire Clark.

Last year’s project saw 36 great chefs take part and raised almost £10,000 for charity. Ashley Palmer-Watts, Executive Chef at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, raised the most money, with his box of 50 deep fried mince pies fetching £1,000. This year the project is set to be bigger and better, with an exciting new line up of chefs from across the UK. The full line up will be announced early December.

Competition is already hotting up between the chefs, who are all vying to raise the most money and take home ultimate mince pie bragging rights. ‘It’s all about charity, but secretly every chef wants their mince pies to raise the most money. Ashley Palmer-Watts came up with a great idea last year, so he will be the man to beat’, says Angela Hartnett, one of the chefs already confirmed for this year’s project.

Ingredients (for approximately 35 pieces)

FOR THE PASTRY
500g Strong white flour
90g Marsala
20g Sugar
2 Eggs
50g Unsalted butter
2g Salt
1tbls Orange zest

FOR THE FILLING
200g Dry figs
200g Dry Apricots
100g Sultanas
50g Hazelnuts (toasted)
30g Pistachios (toasted)
30g Walnuts (toasted)
30g Pine nuts (toasted)
4 Golden apples
200g Butter
200g Vanilla sugar
1tbls Mosto cotto
1tbls Honey

Mix all the pastry ingredients together to form a dough and leave to rest for about one hour.

In the meantime, peel and cut the apples into small cubes. In a pre-heated pan, melt the butter before adding the apples and vanilla sugar and leave to cook until golden brown. In a mortar, crush the dried fruits and nuts into a paste. Mix the paste with the apples and leave to cool down.

Roll out the pastry thinly and cut into long rectangle strips horizontally. Spoon the filling onto the rectangle, leaving a little room at the edges, and roll it lengthwise like a jelly roll. Preheat the oven to 170 °C and bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool down and then brush the top with some honey, followed by mosto cotto.

1tbls

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