Grana Padano Mince Pies
Sweet & savoury go together so well, and these Grana Padano Riserva mince pies are case and point. The Grana Padano Riserva is grated into the pastry and then added on top of the mincemeat before the lid goes on and they cook in the oven.
It brings you all the best bits of a festive cheese board in one mouthful - the Grana Padano Riserva, the fruit, the mincemeat, all bring memories of Christmas chutneys. The cheese gives it savoury, slightly tangy base notes while the sweetness sings up high. The ingredients complement each other perfectly and I urge you to try these.
Grana Padano Riserva is matured for over 20 months and has a lovely crumbly texture and a umami flavour. It is also a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin – an EU certification of quality and provenance) and is now the best-selling PDO cheese in the world. Once you taste it, you’ll know why.
Ingredients:
Makes 12
300g plain flour
100g caster sugar
180g butter
100g Grana Padano Riserva
1 egg
400g mincemeat
2 apples, peeled and grated
Extra Grana Padano to grate on top
Demerara sugar to sprinkle on top
Soured cream to serve.
Method
Add flour and butter to a large bowl and rub together. Add 80g of Grana Padano Riserva plus the egg and mix. Roll into a bowl and wrap in cling film or a reusable plastic bag and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)
Lightly flour the work surface and roll the pastry out until it is 3mm thick
Cut 12 circles out using a cookie cutter (which is wider than your muffin trays).
Push the pastry circles into the muffin trays and generously spoon the mincemeat into the pastry cases. With the leftover pastry, cut out 12 circles smaller than the width of the muffin cases. Sprinkle the remaining Grana Padano Riserva onto the mincemeat and top with the pastry lids. Sprinkle demerara sugar on top and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, place the mince pies on a wire rack. Grate more Grana Padano Riserva on top and serve with a dollop of soured cream.
