You might find it hard to believe your’mince pies’ when you read this recipe title – but Hix Restaurants’ Ronnie Murray is onto a winner when he suggests serving the fruity tarts with a birrov blue cheese ice cream….

Mince pies with Castello Danish Blue ice cream

Makes 12

Ingredients:

For the ice cream:

  • 200g Castello Danish Blue
  • Good-quality vanilla ice cream

For the mince pies:

  • 225g cold butter, diced
  • 350g plain flour
  • 100g golden caster sugar
  • 1 small egg
  • Icing sugar, to dust
  • Jar of traditional mincemeat
  • Pinch of salt

Method:

  • For the cheat’s blue cheese ice cream:
  • Put the Castello Danish Blue into the freezer for 3 hours until frozen.  Finely grate and reserve.
  • Put the vanilla ice cream into a mixing bowl and let it melt for 5 minutes.
  • When the ice cream is soft and malleable, add the blue cheese and start working the mixture with a spatula to evenly combine.  
  • Transfer to a freezer-safe dish or Tupperware box and refreeze over night or until ready to eat.
  • For the pastry:
  • Rub the cold, diced butterinto the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Mix in the sugar, egg, and a pinch of salt, bringthe pastry together into a ball (with a few drops of cold water if necessary), and knead it briefly.
  • Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.
  • For the mince pies:
  • Preheat the oven to 200C. Press walnut-sized balls of pastry into each cup of a 12-hole patty tin, and spoon the ready-made mincemeat into the shells.
  • To make the lids, take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids big enough to cover the pies.
  • Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal. Bake for 12 minutes, until golden. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
  • When ready to serve, spoon the ice cream on top of the mince pies, dust with icing sugar, and enjoy!

 For more information on Castello cheese, visit www.castellocheese.co.uk

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