Christmas is over, and isn’t it annoying when you discover you have left over mincemeat in your cupboard that never made it into a mince pie? Not any more! Here is a really lovely way to use up your supplies!

Mincemeat & Marzipan Couronne

Ingredients for the Couronne

  • 250g Strong white bread flour
  • 5g Salt
  • 8g Yeast
  • 50g Unsalted butter, softened
  • 135ml Whole milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Ingredients for the Marzipan

  • 90g Caster sugar
  • 149g Icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • 220g Ground almonds
  • 1 Orange, finely grated
  • 1 egg, beaten

Ingredients for the Filling & Topping

  • 400g Mincemeat
  • 50g Apricot jam
  • 200g Icing sugar
  • 50g Chopped pistachios

Method

  1. To make the couronne, mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in a bowl. Then, add the softened butter, the milk and egg to the mixture and work the mix with your hands until it comes together as a soft dough and the sides of the bowl are clean. Lightly flour a surface and knead the dough for about 5 or 6 minutes. At this point, the dough shouldn’t feel sticky anymore. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with cling film and leave it to prove in a warm environment for 1 hour.
  2. While the dough is proving, make the marzipan. Mix the caster sugar, icing sugar and ground almonds in a bowl together with the orange zest and the egg until well combined. The result will be a thick paste. Knead this paste on a clean surface lightly dusted with icing sugar for about 5 minutes until it is smooth. Then, wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge to chill.
  3. Prep a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
  4. At this stage, the couronne dough should have doubled its size. Take the dough and roll it into a rectangle approximately 30cm x10cm. Spread the mincemeat over the top.
  5. Take the marzipan and roll it into a rectangle of similar size to the dough. Lay the marzipan over the mincemeat.
  6. Roll the dough tightly like a Swiss roll, then cut in half lengthways almost to the end. Twist the two lengths of dough around each other to form a spiral, then bring the ends together to forming a ring, and place it on the parchment lined baking tray. It is important to now leave it to prove again for another 30-60 minutes (the dough should spring back into shape when lightly touched). Cook at 1800C for 30 minutes, until risen and golden-brown. Move to a wire rack to cool.
  7. Mix the apricot jam with a splash of water and heat it until runny. Brush the jam all over the warm couronne and set aside to cool completely.
  8. To finish, mix icing sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of water to make a runny icing and drizzle or brush it over the corounne. Sprinkle some pistachios over the top and it is ready to enjoy.

Fruit, Nuts & Fungi
Apples, Chestnuts, Pears (late – Concorde, Doyenne du Comice, Conference and Winter Nellis), Rhubarb (forced), Walnuts

Vegetables & Herbs
Jerusalem Artichokes, Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Kale, Leeks, Parsnips, Potatoes, Swede, Turnips.

Meat & Game
Duck, Guinea Fowl, Hare, Partridge, Venison
Fish & Shellfish
Brill, Clams, Cockles, Haddock, Halibut, Hake, John Dory, Lemon Sole, Monkfish, Mussels, Oyster, Plaice, Turbot.

Going out of season
Cabbage, Cauliflower, Goose, Horseradish, Jerusalem Artichoke, Leek, Parsnip, Rhubarb, Swede, Truffle.

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Suzanne is a professional chef, wife and mother who has lived in East Dulwich all her life!
www.suzannejames.co.uk

This article first appeared in the February 2018 issue of SE22 magazine.