These are mince pies. I've been craving them.
Not difficult to make if you take the usual short cuts. The mincemeat was Co-op brand, suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The pastry I did make myself, part of a policy to renew old skills. It turned out o.k. and my secret - at the moment I'm inhibiting my snobbery and using plain solid white fat, pure vegetable oil, the non-hydrogenated variety. Works like a dream but of course it has a very bad press. Still, that's what the commercial producers use. At least this way I can make sure it's fresh when it hits the flour.
More soon I hope. I'm cooking for eight this year. Should be a laugh.
1 comment:
Vegan pastry can be made with vegetable suet, vegan marg, the above mentioned white fat (the only brand name I can think of for this is a French one, Vegetaline, but I know there are Brit versions) or oil.
I used the white fat because I was hoping for an effect like 'rough puff' pastry and marg. is much too soft to be very successful in that.
Olive oil pastry is nice, but very difficult to work. You basically have to slap it into the form and shape it in there, rolling it out is next to impossible, although I have managed once or twice using two sheets of parchment paper as supports.
Enough for a whole new entry!
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