Simon Brown’s Daylesford AGA Christmas recipe 2016

INGREDIENTS

25g/1oz flaked almonds

350g/12oz butter puff pastry (or a ready-rolled sheet)

225g/8oz good quality mincemeat

25g/1oz dried, chopped apricots

½tsp ground cinnamon

2tsp icing sugar

1 egg

METHOD

Place a sheet of Bake-O-Glide on the AGA simmering plate or pre-heat a dry frying pan, sprinkle with the almonds and toast until lightly browned, turning as necessary.

Remove from the simmering plate or frying pan and allow to cool, then fold the Bake-O-Glide over the nuts and gently crush to about half their original size using a rolling pin.

If using a block of pastry, roll it out into a 30cm (12”) square and trim the edges so that they are straight. Spread the mincemeat thinly over the pastry and sprinkle with the apricots and almonds. Roll up the pastry like a Swiss roll, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the cinnamon and icing sugar in a bowl.

Remove the pastry roll from the cling film and cut into ½cm (¼”) thick slices. Place on the AGA large baking tray or the plain shelf lined with Bake-O-Glide, or on a lined baking sheet and brush with beaten egg to glaze.

AGA: Cook in the roasting oven on the 2nd set of runners for 10-12 minutes until well risen and golden. Serve warm dusted with the cinnamon icing sugar.

Conventional oven: Cook at 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 for 10-12 minutes until well risen and golden. Serve warm dusted with the cinnamon icing sugar.