Gingersnap Mincemeat Torte Food

MINCE TART WITH CRUMBLE TOPPING

Steps:

• First, make the pastry. Using a tabletop mixer or an electric hand whisk, cream together the butter and sugar with a pinch of salt until soft and fluffy. Add the yolks, then fold in the flour until the pastry just comes together, being careful not to overwork. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hr.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Cook the butter, sugar, orange zest, apple and cinnamon over a medium heat for 15 mins or until you have a thick purée. Add the dried fruit and mixed peel for the final 1-2 mins, then remove from the heat. Once cool, remove the cinnamon stick, and stir in the brandy and suet.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin, then use to line a 25cm loose-bottomed tart case. Return to the fridge for 30 mins until well chilled.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Prick the base of the tart case with a fork, line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 12 mins, then remove the baking beans and parchment and cook for 3 mins more.
• Meanwhile, put the flour, sugar and butter for the crumble in a bowl. Rub together with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then mix in the frosted walnuts.
• Spoon the mincemeat filling into the pastry case and cover with the crumble. Return to the oven for 30 mins until bubbling at the edges and the topping is golden and gooey. Serve warm or cool with custard or clotted cream.

GINGER SNAPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, clove and salt.
• Place the brown sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the molasses, egg and fresh ginger and beat on medium for 1 minute. Add the crystallized ginger and using a rubber spatula, stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined.
• With a 2-teaspoon-sized scoop, drop the dough onto a parchment-lined half sheet pan approximately 2 inches apart. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes for slightly chewy cookies or 15 minutes for more crisp cookies. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired, and allow the cookies to stay on the sheet pan for 30 seconds before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with all of the dough. Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days. If desired, you may scoop and freeze the cookie dough on a sheet pan and once frozen, place in a resealable bag to store. Bake directly from the freezer as above.

KEY LIME PIE WITH A GINGERSNAP CRUST

Steps:

• Chill a mixing bowl and mixer whip.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine gingersnap crumbs, sugar, and ginger in a food processor and pulse to obtain very fine crumbs.
• Pour crumbs into a bowl and mix well with melted butter.
• Butter a 9-inch pie plate and evenly and firmly press gingersnap crumbs along the bottom and sides of pan.
• Par-bake crust at 350F for 10 minutes or until nicely browned.
• Allow crust to cool while preparing filling.
• Beat together egg yolks and lime zest in a large non-reactive bowl (mixture may turn pale green).
• Add condensed milk and continue beating.
• Add salt, citric acid and lime juice, mixing thoroughly.
• Set bowl aside and allow mixture to thicken somewhat.
• When thickened, evenly pour prepared filling into the crust.
• Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until mixture sets but is still slightly jiggly.
• Cool pie on a wire rack.
• Using the chilled mixing bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form.
• Add sugar 1 tbsp at a time, and continue to beat until firm peaks form.
• Serve whipped cream on pie as desired, garmished with additional lime zest.
• Refrigerate unused portions.

GINGERSNAP MINCEMEAT TORTE

Steps:

• Line a buttered 8-inch round cake pan with a round of wax paper, and dust the pan with flour, knocking out the excess. In a small bowl stir together the gingersnap crumbs and the baking powder. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg yolks and the sugar until the mixture is thick and pale and beat in the mincemeat and the crumb mixture. In another bowl with cleaned beaters beat the whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks, stir one third of them into the batter to lighten the batter, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Turn the batter into the prepared pan, bake the torte in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 20 minutes, or until it begins to shrink from the side of the pan, and transfer it to a rack. Let the torte cool for 15 minutes and invert it onto the rack. Discard the wax paper and invert the torte onto a plate. Serve the torte, cut into wedges, with the ice cream.