MINCE PIES...are they only for christmas time??

Thought I would share a recipe for mince pies (or tarts whatever you like to call them) from sunny rainy sometimes hailing (and that was just yesterday)Cygnet
I only have a rough estimate on the fruit mince because I just make a big batch at the start of December to use in muffins and mince pies when its xmas
FRUIT MINCE
500g sultanas
200g raisins
200g currants
100g glace`red cherries
100g dried apricots
100g dates
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup brandy(yes it sounds a lot but it all gets soaked up and the more you toss it around and leave it to marinate the better)
2 grated apples
A welcome addition to this is also 100gchopped pistachios and 200gdried cranberries
PASTRY
250g plain flour
150g butter
100g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Rub butter into flour with the pinch of salt

til it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the sugar and give a stir through. Then add your egg and vanilla and mix thouroughly till it molds into a ball. This is quite a wet mix so it allows for a fair amount of flour when rolling.

Roll out to approximately 1/2 cm thickness. Use 2 cookie cutters of different shapes the larger one for putting into a greased patty pan tin, also known as a drop scone tin. The smaller cutter to use for the lid of your tart.

Put the larger size piece of pastry into the tin until the tray is full then put approx 1 teaspoon of fruit mince into each tart base. Using some egg wash, brush around the lids before you put them onto the tart bottoms.This is to ensure the lids stay stuck to the bases. Egg wash the tops of the tarts and sprinkle with sugar.( prick a small hole in top of pastry to allow hot air out and no exploding tarts!!)



uncooked tarts

Put into a moderate(150-160) oven for approximately 20 minutes, until they are golden on top. take out of oven and let cool on wire rack then sprinkle with icing sugar and serve by themselves or with cream and icecream.

I also made Mr Purple Chef a special treat and used the same pastry and fruit mince and just made him a slice.





NOT ANY OLD FRUITCAKE......or a cake by any other name tastes just as sweet

moist delicious fruit cake

When I was younger I went through a stage of not liking fruit cake. The closest I would get would be christmas pudding and that was only because there was money in there and it was also smothered in custard AND cream. A couple of years ago I asked my mum for a fruit cake recipe of some kind as I didnt want just any old fruitcake I wanted one with history ie; mum , nana costolloe or nana brown, other relatives who are food driven like our whole family seems to be.
So she gave me a recipe that she had used quite successfully for a number of years. I then asked where it was from and she said it was from when we lived in Singapore(I was ONE I am now past 40) a cookbook came out from the expats in the area as I'm lead to believe. So I had a go at it and found I wanted more fruit in it and a couple of other little tweaks and I think I have made a foolproof fruitcake recipe. Its really nice and I now like fruit cake again. I have done it with a number of different fruit combinations and all have worked well. I have done it leaving the grated apple out and it is nice BUT it is even nicer and moister and tastier with the grated apple, but this is just so you know it can be played around with a little tiny bit and still work beautifully.
 It is NOT low fat but it is also not meant to be eaten 3 slices at a time. Remember everything in moderation
Danie & Mum's Boiled Fruit Cake
250 g butter
1 cup sugar(brown, white, raw a mixture is ok too)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
475-500g mixed dried fruit( I used dates, sultanas, dried apricots, currants, raisins,macadamias, pecans &
glace cherries. Any combination is good as long as the dried fruit is the biggest quantity)
Put all these ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil then simmer for 10 min. It will look glorious and syrupy and taste sweet and butterscotchy. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
In a bowl
 1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon mixed spice
When fruit mixture is cooled add to dry ingredients. Add 1 grated apple. Mix together 2 eggs with 1 teaspoon vanilla and the juice from 1 orange. Add to the rest of the mixture & mix well. Put into greaseproof lined 8 inch loaf tin
cook @160degrees for one hour. take out of oven and rest somewhere to cool for an hour.
 You can slice it and eat as is...or you can get some butter and put a lashings on it...OR you can make custard and have it warm. You can also play with the ingredients to add some zing...put some cardoman and extra mixed spice and more dates and apricots than sultanas a few pistachios and you have a
very morroccan twist to a lovely Aussie/English Favourite