I know it's only October, but I had to try Heston's pine-scented mince pies for Waitrose: tear open the sachet of pine-oil flavoured sugar, take a sniff and I guarantee you'll say "wow!". You bake the pies for ten minutes, then sprinkle the sugar on top, but while the pine is an assertive fragrance, on the palate it blends in with the mincemeat's ingredients (which include lemon curd and rosewater) and the result is wonderful - a very good mince pie.
Mr. C. said he'd like a greater proportion of filling to pastry, and I think he has a point, but it's puff pastry instead of the more usual shortcrust, and the result is a light bite or two rather than the more substantial traditional pie. Delicious!
And no hint of Jeyes fluid?
Posted by: B R Wombat | 16 October 2011 at 05:14 PM
Not in the slightest! They have that resinous, freshly cut Christmas tree smell, which then blends in beautifully with the filling.
Posted by: Cornflower | 16 October 2011 at 05:28 PM
Mince pies already? Gosh! They do look good though.
Posted by: Deirdre | 17 October 2011 at 08:39 AM
I'm glad the Jeyes fluid was absent . . . I confess my remark was mostly prompted by jealousy of anyone being within shopping distance of a Waitrose.
Posted by: B R Wombat | 17 October 2011 at 09:42 AM
And you ate them? Another few weeks and you could probably sell them on Ebay!
Posted by: m | 17 October 2011 at 02:14 PM