The Ultimate Christmas Mince Tart
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: Christmas; Desserts; easy; Sweet Pies, Pastries and Tarts; Teatime
Description
By far the best Christmas tart.
Ingredients
Fruit mince
250 g sultanas
100 g raisins
60 g dried pitted dates
60 g glacé cherries, chopped
60 g dried apricots, chopped
30 g glacé ginger, chopped
30 g citrus peel
1 apple, peeled and grated
zest of 1 orange
3 Tbsp (45 ml) fig jam
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
110 g brown treacle sugar
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) ground cinnamon
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) ground cloves
1/3 C (80 ml) brandy
Pastry
110 g butter
100 g castor sugar
1 egg
250 g cake flour
Frangipane
125 g butter, diced
125 g castor sugar
2 eggs
100 g ground almonds
100 g flaked almonds, for topping
icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Prepare a large, round, loose-bottomed tart pan.
Fruit mince
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 1 month, stirring every 2–3 days.
Pastry
Combine the butter and sugar in a blender. With the motor still running, add the egg, and then add the flour. Blend until it forms a dough. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
Press the pastry into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a further 45 minutes. Add dried beans and bake blind for 10 minutes.
Frangipane
Mix the butter and castor sugar in a food processor. With the motor running, add the eggs, one at a time, and then add the ground almonds and blend well.
To finish
Place half the fruit mince into the tart shell and spread it over the base. Top the tart with the frangipane and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake for 30–40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
