We know what you’re thinking. Mince pies with cheese. That’s like making trifle with beef (for all you Friends devotees). Or having a sausage roll with custard. But cool your jets, mi amigo. Try these parcels of scrumptiousness and you’ll never go back to shop-bought even if you’re a Fortnum’s season ticket holder.
The quantities below make about three dozen so adjust as you see fit. But whatever you do, don’t use ready-made pastry. They will not be the same. This pastry is melt-in-the-pie-hole super crumbly.
For the pastry:
225g butter
115g lard
450g self-raising flour
Fresh orange juice to bind (not too much, add a little at a time)
Other ingredients:
Philadelphia cream cheese (may as well go for the full fat version as the pastry ingredients ain’t exactly slimming)
Mincemeat
Water
Instructions:
Set the oven to gas mark 4 or 180
Cooking time is about 30 minutes but keep checking until nice and brown
And so we begin…
1. Get your baking tin (one of those designed specifically for the purpose of small cakes and pies) and rub a little butter around the indentations so the pies come out nice and easy
2. Mix the pastry ingredients together with your hands until the right consistency to roll out (it should be just moist enough to leave the bowl completely clean)
3. Roll it out, cut it into circles and put in the baking tin
4. Introduce a dob of mincemeat to each (as per normal mince pie making)
5. Then a dob of the cream cheese (you could experiment and vary the amount – just go with your instincts)
6. Put a bit of water on the rim of the base, stick his lid on, pinch to seal and Bob’s your uncle
7. Place in oven at allotted temperature
8. Take out of oven after allotted time (or when you consider them done)
Best eaten warm
Fa-la-la-la-laaaa la la la laaaaaaaaa