This is a great dessert to bake when you need to make something quickly over the festive season.
It is made with ready roll puff pastry and mincemeat for a quick dessert and a great way to use up leftover mincemeat.
I used some apple and almonds in this bake but you could just use the leftover mincemeat if you like or even add some dried cranberries.
It is delicious warm with custard, brandy sauce or rum butter or you can eat it cold with some cream.
Start by unrolling the pastry on to a large baking tray and trim the parchment to fit the tray.
Put the mincemeat in a bowl, then add the grated apple, flaked almonds and orange zest and mix together.
Spread the mincemeat mixture down the middle of the pastry leaving 2cm of pastry at the top and bottom and approx 7cm left and right.
Turn the top and bottom edges of pastry inwards to seal the ends of the strudel.
Trim the extra pastry off the sides so you only have one thickness of pastry to plait on your first piece.
Cut the pastry sides into 2cm strips down the left and right sides to plait across the top of the mincemeat filling.
Take the strips and plait alternately left to right until the mincemeat is covered.
Brush with milk or egg wash.
Place in the fridge at least for 1 hour.
When ready to bake preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade (200 fan) Gas mark 7.
Brush the pastry with a second milk or egg wash and sprinkle some extra flaked almonds down the middle.
Then bake for 35 mins then to cool slightly before serving with custard or cream.
Festive Mincemeat Strudel
Sarah's servings: 8
Sarah's skill: Easy
Baking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
320g Ready Rolled Puff Pastry Sheet
300g Mincemeat
50g Grated Apple
25g Flaked almonds + extra for decoration
Zest of 1 Orange
Method:
Unroll the pastry on to a large baking tray and trim the parchment to fit the tray.
Put the mincemeat in a bowl, then add the grated apple, flaked almonds and orange zest and mix together.
Spread the mincemeat mixture down the middle of the pastry leaving 2cm of pastry at the top and bottom and approx 7cm left and right.
Turn the top and bottom edges of pastry inwards to seal the ends of the strudel. Trim the extra pastry off the sides so you only have one thickness of pastry to plait on your first piece.
Cut the pastry sides into 2cm strips down the left and right sides to plait across the top of the mincemeat filling.
Take the strips and plait alternately left to right until the mincemeat is covered.
Brush with milk or egg wash.
Place in the fridge at least for 1 hour.
When ready to bake preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade (200 fan) Gas mark 7.
Brush the pastry with a second milk or egg wash then sprinkle some extra flaked almonds down the middle.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
Leave to cool slightly before serving.
Sarah's extra slice......
You could also add some different nuts into the filling for a bit of crunch - hazelnuts also work well.