Food Fiend - Christmas Tart

A delicious dessert alternative for Christmas & New Year Celebrations

Christmas pudding is not everyone’s favourite dessert so I have created this month’s recipe with that in mind. If you have time and make your own mince meat this recipe would be ideal for it. Otherwise a good quality shop bought mince meat would do nicely. Very often mince tarts accompany the tea and coffees at the end of meal, I am sure this dessert will take its place on your table as a suitable equal to your Christmas Pudding! Imagine the beautifully short zesty orange pastry which is then topped with a soft and moist mixture of fruits and under tones of almonds. The crisp pastry and well balanced fruit topping will be a delight to your palate.

Ingredients

For pastry:

For filling:

  • 100 gms butter
  • 200 gms plain flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 7 or 8 teaspoons orange juice water
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 100 gms butter
  • 100 gms caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 75 gms ground almonds
  • 75 gms self raising flour
  • 2 eating apples
  • 2 tbsp flaked almonds
  • 450 gms of mince meat

To do:

  1. Pre heat fan oven to 170 degrees.
  2. Sift flour into food processor, add pinch of salt. Cut butter into small cubes and gently stir into flour. Pulse the mixture in the food processor until it resembles bread crumbs. Do not over pulse.
  3. Add orange zest and 7 to 8 teaspoons of orange juice to the bread crumb mixture and pulse in food processor until it forms aball. Cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
  4. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy using electric mixer. Separate egg yolk from white. Add egg yolk one at a time and selfraising flour and beat well.
  5. Mix in ground almonds until well mixed in.
  6. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture.
  7. Flour table top, rolling pin and hands with plain flour. Place dough ball in centre and roll out gently until pastry fills 24 cms loose bottom pastry tin.
  8. Carefully place pastry dough in tin and prick with a fork. Cover with sheet of greaseproof paper and pour baking beans on top. Bake in the middle of the oven for approx. 5 minutes. Remove baking beans and greaseproof paper and bake for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
  9. Peel and dice apples. Spoon mince meat into base of pastry case and mix with diced apple. Pour filling on the top, sprinkle flaked almonds and bake on 160 degree fan for 30 minutes or until brown.
  10. Enjoy with whipped cream.
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