Mincemeat and Apple Jalousie

All you need here is some mincemeat, a Bramley apple and some ready-rolled puff pastry, and from there on it's all plain sailing.

 

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Method

First of all, put the mincemeat into a large bowl, then quarter the apple, cut away the core and chop it fairly small with the skin on (this can be done in a processor using the pulse button). Next, mix the apple, orange zest, spice and rum together with the mincemeat and give it all a good stir.

Now unroll the pastry on to a surface, lightly dusted with flour, and roll it slightly thinner so it measures 18 x 12 inches (45 x 30 cm). After that, cut it into 2 long rectangles, which measure 18 x 6 inches (45 x 15 cm) each. Take one rectangle of pastry, roll it a little thinner and bigger, then fold it in half lengthways and, with a sharp knife, cut diagonally about 2 inches (5 cm) into the fold at 1 inch (2.5 cm) intervals all along.

Next, place the second rectangle of pastry on the baking tray and pile the mincemeat filling on to the pastry, leaving a 1 inch (2.5 cm) border all round, and brush that border with a little cold water. Now unfold the first rectangle of pastry and place it over the mincemeat and, using your thumbs, press the edges all round the filling to seal them. Finally, trim the pastry to ½ inch (1 cm) around the filling (the trimmings can be re-rolled to make the cheese twists) and use a small knife to crimp the edges.

The raw jalousie can now be open-frozen on the baking tray, then removed once solid and wrapped in a double sheet of foil to continue freezing until you need it.

You can cook the jalousie from frozen. First, preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 400F, 200C. Before you put the jalousie in the oven, place it on a greased baking sheet. Then brush it all over with beaten egg and sprinkle a mixture of 1 dessertspoon golden granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon over the top. Bake it for 30-35 minutes and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sifted icing sugar just before it goes to the table. Serve it cut into slices with rum butter to accompany it.