Nutty Crumble Mincemeat Tart
I’ve had more than enough of winter now and after a taste of spring last week I’m longing for the warmer days. I’m sat here, still rather soggy after a wet and windy school run consoling myself with a flapjack. Still, it’s better than the snow that made an appearance on Sunday.
The only good thing about the snow was that it made the fact that I was baking with mincemeat in March less strange. I’m not a huge fan of mincemeat and tend to keep it confined to its proper place in December.
Rich, on the other hand, adores the stuff and I suspect feels rather cheated about the lack of mince pies that made an appearance over Christmas. He’s been badgering me to make some ever since I found a couple of jars lurking in the cupboard.
But I’m afraid I just can’t bring myself to bake mince pies unless it’s Christmas. So we comprised – see, this compromising lark filters down through all aspects of a relationship. Even mince pies – and agreed on a tart with a crumble topping.
The topping makes it less ‘Christmassy’ but you still get that boozy hit from the mincemeat – even more so with the homemade stuff that’s had a bit longer to mature. I think it benefits from a dollop of crème fraiche, Rich and my mum preferred it plain. It’s a definite plate and fork job as the crumble is very crumbly and has a tendency to deposit itself down your clothes otherwise.
So, mincemeat in March with snow. Happy Christmas.
Nutty Crumble Mincemeat Tart
1 pack ready rolled shortcrust pastry
400g jar mincemeat.
100g mixed nuts, mine were pecans, hazelnuts andbrazilsbut use whatever you have in the cupboard
200g plain flour
50g sugar, soft light brown preferably though caster is fine
150g butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 200c/190c fan/gas 5. Line a 23cm loose bottomed tart pan with the pastry and blind bake (see notes) for approx 20 minutes until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.
Meanwhile blitz the nuts in a food processor until you have a mix of crumbs and larger pieces.
Mix the nuts, flour and sugar in a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix lightly until it is the texture of crumble.
Once the pastry is cooked, remove from the oven. Spread the mincemeat over the bottom of the case and top with the crumble mix.
Bake for a further 15/20 minutes until the crumble topping is golden brown.
Lovely on its own or served with crème fraiche.
Notes:
Blind baking is a process where the pastry is cooked under a layer of greaseproof paper and baking beans, usually when the filling has a shorter cooking time than the pastry. If you don’t have baking beans then old dried lentils or pulses will do the job just as well. Once you have placed the pastry into the tin prick the base all over with a fork, line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or similar.
If you liked this then you might like:
