Neil Hopcroft

A digital misfit

16 comments

  3. susanofstohelit

    what kind of dough did you use for the crust? pies don’t generally expand like that.

    also, did you poke holes in the top layer to let the excess air out while they baked?

    Reply
    • neilh

      Puff pastry – it expands like that, rather more than I had expected, though. The seal wasn’t good enough for there to be air or steam retention problems, none of them exploded, their lids just went rather tall.

      Reply
      • susanofstohelit

        Pie crust is rather more standard (I think) for something like this than puff pastry.

        Even with a bad seal around the edges, steam can build up in the middle and distort the top.

        Reply
        • neilh

          Perhaps, but I’m not a fan of dry pastry, give me something a little more interesting any day – the whole reason for making them was that you can’t buy decent mince pies here.

          Reply
      • kantti

        What a good idea. I like mince, but not pie dough. I tend to make mince crepes instead, but perhaps I’ll try them with puff pastry. I think the puffiness looks really appetising, although I have to confess I thought they were yorkshire puddings at first.

        Reply
        • neilh

          Hmmm….mince (minced meat) or mincemeat (spicy fruit)? Mine are the latter, though I’m sure the concept works just as well for the former. I can’t use up all my adventurousness in one week though, so that experimenting is going to have to wait.

          Reply
  4. johnfkent

    I was going to commend you on your superlative effort at Yorkshire Puddings… but they’re mince pies, aren’t they?

    Well done, for just attempting them!

    Go all Robert Burns-like (try, try, try again).

    Reply
  5. neilh

    Thats not bad going….cooking things with nice smells gives you quite a pleasant warning of impending transition from cooking to burning.

    Reply
  7. neilh

    Yeah, its just a question of practice…my house is small enough that when the smell reaches where my computer is the cooking is finished.

    Reply

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