A very good pastry for pies and quiches

Which pastry to make for a quiche or pie is very much a personal choice.
At the moment this is my favourite. Inspiration came from Elizabeth
David’s recipe for Tarte à L’Onion in French Provincial Cooking.

250g plain flour
125g butter, chilled
1 egg yolk
Chilled water
Pinch of salt

Put the flour in a large bowl and add the butter cut into smallish
chunks and a pinch of salt. Working with light fingers, mix the butter
into the flour. Add the egg yolk and a tablespoon or two of the chilled
water, enough to form a dough. The flour will leave the sides of the
bowl. Press gently into a ball. It doesn’t have to be perfect as lumps of
butter should still be obvious.

Place the dough on a lightly floured board and, with the heel of
your hand, form it into a very rough pastry. Gather it up and repeat
the process. Gather it up again and form the dough into a ball. Wrap
in cling film and store in the fridge for at least an hour before use.

Sablé pastry

This is a melt-in-the-mouth pastry for sweet tarts but is crumbly and
can be frustrating to make.

250g plain flour
200g butter, chilled
100g icing sugar
2 egg yolks

Heap the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the middle.
Cut the butter into small chunks and put them in the well with the icing
sugar. Working lightly, rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar, and
then add the egg yolks. Mix until you have formed a ball of dough. (if
using large egg yolks you may need to add a very little extra flour.)
Return the dough to the work surface and, using the heel of your
hand, work the dough, pushing it away from you three or four times
until it is smooth. Reform into a ball and wrap in cling film. Store in
the fridge for at least an hour before use.

Mincemeat for Christmas

Homemade mincemeat is in a different league to most shop-bought
ones. It keeps well, and if it does begin to dry out, can always be
revived with extra brandy.

750g cooking apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated, ideally, Wellingtons
350g raisins
350g currants
350g suet
350g sultanas
350g granulated sugar
125g mixed peel
100g almonds, skinned and chopped
½ tsp each of grated nutmeg, cinnamon, mace
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
100ml brandy

Mix the orange and lemon juice with the brandy. Put all the other
ingredients into a large bowl, mix well, and add the brandy and juices.
Pack into Kilner jars and store.