Mincemeat Apple Marzipan Wreath Recipes

MINCEMEAT, APPLE & MARZIPAN WREATH

Steps:

• Unravel the pastry, cut off a 4cm strip along the width and chill this piece until later. Cut the remaining pastry in half lengthways. Place the pastry pieces end to end, so you have one long rectangle, squashing the cut ends together to seal. Scatter over the marzipan and orange zest, leaving a border of about 1cm free along one side. Spoon the mincemeat along the centre, like you're making sausage rolls, then top with the apple.
• Brush a little beaten egg over the exposed pastry edge. Starting from the other side, roll into a long sausage, sealing with the eggwashed edge. Use a sharp knife or a pair of scissors to snip almost all the way into the pastry at a slight angle at 5cm intervals, keeping all the pieces attached along one edge. Coil into a ring, with the cut pieces on the outside to help it bend, and tuck one end into the other to give a neat finish. Brush the wreath with egg, then use the trimmings from earlier to make decorations, such as stars or holly leaves, and brush these with egg too. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the wreath for 20 mins or until golden brown. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm for dessert, or cold as an alternative to mince pies.

PILGRIM APPLE MINCEMEAT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• For the pie crusts:
• In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt, sugar and baking powder. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal. In small bowl, mix water and vinegar with the beaten egg. Add the liquid mixture 1 tablespoon at a time to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough. Shape into 3 disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator. Use 2 disks when making this pie. Freeze remaining dough for later use. Roll out 1 disk and place into a 9-inch pie dish for bottom crust.
• For the apple filling: Combine the apples, butter and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat and cook for about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.
• In a medium bowl combine the sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add slightly cooled apples and mix well. Stir in vanilla and cream. Place apple mixture into bottom of pie crust, spreading evenly.
• Spread the mincemeat on top of apple filling. Roll out another dough disk and adjust over the filling. Flute edge and vent top. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, or until golden. Garnish, as desired, with baked pastry cut outs or whipped topping.

BAKED APPLES WITH MINCEMEAT, CHERRIES, AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Boil first 3 ingredients in large skillet until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut cone-shaped piece from stem end of each apple, 2 inches wide at top and 1 inch deep. Using melon baller, core, leaving bottom intact. Turn apple on its side. Starting halfway down, make 1/4-inch-deep slit all around. Mix mincemeat, walnuts, cherries, and crystallized ginger in small bowl; spoon into apples, mounding in center.
• Arrange apples in 11x7x2-inch baking dish. Spoon cider mixture over and around. Bake until apples are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls.

MINCEMEAT AND MARZIPAN TEA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180c / gas 4 / fan 160c.
• Butter a 2lb loaf tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.
• Tip the flour into a bowl, add the cold butter and rub until the mixture forms fine crumbs. (I do this in the food processor to save time) Stir in the sugar and marzipan cubes.
• In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, and then stir in the mincemeat. Stir this into the flour mixture until evenly combined.
• Spoon in to the prepared loaf tin, smooth and sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top.
• Bake for 1 hour until the tea bread is risen and golden brown, or a skewer inserted comes out clean, (except for it you push it through a piece of marzipan!).
• Lightly dust the tea bread with icing sugar while it is still hot.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then tip on to a wire rack to cool completely.

APPLE MINCEMEAT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place apples, butter, and lemon juice into a saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, until the apples are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the mincemeat and walnuts until thoroughly combined, and set the pie filling aside.
• Fit a pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish; pour the filling into the crust. With a brush dipped in water, moisten the edge of the bottom crust. Top the pie with the second crust, and crimp the two crusts together with a fork to seal. Cut 4 slits into the top crust for steam vents. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with water, and brush the yolk mixture over the top crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the pie from the oven, and cover the crust edges with strips of aluminum foil to prevent over baking. Return the pie to the oven, and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 more minutes.