BBC Good Food Show Winter Showguide & Recipe Collection 2021 | Page 27

Lemon meringue mince pies

RECIPE
Cassie Best
MAKES 12
• 400g shop-bought or homemade mincemeat ( ensure vegetarian , if needed )
• ½ lemon , juiced
For the pastry ( or use shop-bought , see tip , below )
• 250g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
• 125g butter , plus extra for the tin
• 25g golden caster sugar
• 2 eggs , yolks only ( use the whites to make the meringue , below )
• 1 lemon , zested
• 4 tbsp milk
For the meringue
• 2 eggs , whites only
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 100g caster sugar
1 . If making your own pastry , tip the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs . Add the sugar , egg yolks , lemon zest and milk , then mix into a dough . Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until the pastry comes together , being careful not to over-mix . Form into a disc , cover and chill for at least 10 mins or up to two days . Will keep frozen for three months . Defrost before using . While the pastry chills , mix together the mincemeat and lemon juice in a medium bowl . 2 . Heat the oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas 7 and lightly butter the holes of a 12-hole muffin tin . Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £ 1 coin and use a 10cm round cutter to stamp out 12 circles , re-rolling the offcuts if needed . Use these to line the holes of the tin , pressing them into the base using a small ball of excess pastry . Spoon in the mincemeat , leaving a little gap at the top , and bake for 15 mins until the pastry is golden . Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little , but keep the oven on . The pies will keep covered at room temperature for up to a day . 3 . For the meringue , tip the egg whites into a clean bowl with the lemon juice and a small pinch of salt . Beat with an electric whisk to soft peaks , then sprinkle over half the sugar and continue to whisk until you have soft peaks again . Add the remaining sugar and whisk until the meringue is glossy and stiff . Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle , then pipe swirls of meringue on top of each pie . Slide the pies back into the hot oven for 10 mins to brown the meringue . ( You could also do this using a kitchen blowtorch , if you have one .) Serve warm .
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