Inside the royal kitchens at Christmas
Royal Pastry chefs Kathryn Cuthbertson and Victoria Scupham have revealed how many mince pies they make for Royal Christmas celebrations.
Together the duo has over 17 years experience inside the royal kitchens and will make over 1200 mince pies for each of the festive receptions.
When Royal Pastry chef Kathryn Cuthbertson was asked how many mince pies she makes inside the royal kitchens she said, “'It's probably thousands each but as long as you are organised, it's doable."
Kathryn said her number one tip for anyone making mince pies this Christmas was to “give yourself plenty of time”.
Chef de Partie Victoria Scupham agreed, “Pastry is not something that likes to be rushed.”
The duo also recommends having cold hands when working with pastry to help keep it at the right consistency.
Royal Chefs create different variations of the classic mince pie with one being slightly smaller than the traditional, with flaked almonds brushed with egg whites and icing sugar. Another version is made with puff pastry.
Other desserts that will be made for the royal Christmas celebrations include Gingerbread Biscuits, Jammy Dodgers and Chocolate Roulade.
All the recipes are included in Royal Collection Trust's book, Royal Teas: Seasonal Recipes from Buckingham Palace.
Festive Mince Pies
Ingredients:
For the Mincemeat
- Zest and some juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
- Zest and some juice of 1 unwaxed orange
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 tablespoon of port
- 1 tablespoon of rum
- 1 tablespoon of sherry
- 120g (1 cup) suet
- 160g (3/4 cup) golden sultanas
- 100g (1/2 cup) raisins
- 100g (1/2 cup) mixed peel
- 100g (1/2 cup) currants
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1.2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 160 (6oz) russet apples, peeled and grated
- 500g (1lb 2 oz) sweet pastry
- Egg washed for sticking lids on the bases
- Granulated sugar for the top of the mince pies before baking Icing sugar for dusting
Equipment: 12 hole non-stick shallow baking tray / mince pie tin 32 x 24 cm/ 12.5 x 9" fluted or plain cutters
Method
1. Place all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir. Then add all the liquid and grated apple and allow to soak for at least one week in a 1kg kilner jar sat in the fridge or pantry.
2. Preheat the oven to 190° C (375° F, gas mark 5)
3. Roll the sweet pastry into a sheet approximately 2 to 3 mm thick, place on a tray, and allow to rest in the fridge. Once rested, cut tops and bottoms for your mince pies using fluted or plain cutters (selecting sizes to fit your tin). Place the pie bases into the tin and prick them with a small knife or fork to prevent the pastry from rising during the baking.
4. Spoon a teaspoon of the home-made mincemeat into the base and egg wash the edge of the pastry to enable the lids to stick. Place the mince pies in the fridge to rest for another 30 minutes, then add a pastry top to each, egg washing it and pricking a small hole in the top to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
5. Place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake the pies for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden and the mincemeat starts to boil slightly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before taking the pies out of their tin.
6. Sprinkle the mince pies with icing sugar and serve immediately. To add a festive feel, the mince pie tops could be shaped with a star cutter or perhaps a holly-shaped cutter.