‘Fantastic for the festive season!’
If Christmas was a food, it would combine the juicy pop of sweet sultanas, spicy punch of nutmeg, and sticky, viscous brown sugar syrup – cupped in a buttery shortcrust shell.
In this episode, Cam cranks the Cobb, crafts his pastry stars, and delivers his most Christmas-sy camp dish yet. Catch Cam, his brandy, and his careful hand right here – plus more on our YouTube channel, every Sunday from 6pm.
Cam cranks the Cobb, crafts his pastry stars, and delivers his most Christmas-sy camp dish yet.
Ingredients:
Pastry
2 x cups of plain flour
1/3 cup of caster sugar
160g of melted butter
1 x egg yolk
Water
Filling
2 x cups of dried mixed fruit
1 x cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup of slivered almonds, roughly chopped
1 x Granny Smith apple, grated
40g of melted butter
2tbsps of brandy
3tbsps of grated lemon rind
1tsp of cinnamon
1tsp of mixed spice
1 x pinch of nutmeg
1 x egg
To Serve
Icing sugar
Cam’s Kit:
Rolling pin
Tart shells (preferably with removeable bases)
Star-shapped biscuit cutters
Cam’s ingredients
Cam’s Cobb portable grill
Method:
1. Crank the Heat (00:32)
For this dish, Cam uses his Cobb portable grill and compatible fenced roasting rack. With a self-lighting cobblestone, there’s no need for firelighters.
Allow to heat for 20 minutes, and place the lid on.
With a self-lighting cobblestone, there’s no need for firelighters.
2. Prepare the Pastry (01:11)
To create the shortcrust, combine melted butter, caster sugar, plain flour, and egg yolk. Add water bit by bit, taking care to keep the mixture from becoming too wet.
Once you reach a texture that resembles breadcrumbs, begin kneading with your hands. Be careful not to over-knead, as the dough can then become sticky and elastic-like.
Ball the pastry with both hands, and leave the poor lump to rest for 10-15 minutes (after all, you’ve been pretty kneady).
Get hands-on with it!
Ball the pastry with both hands.
Leave the pastry to rest.
3. Prepare the Filling (02:46)
In a bowl, add the mixed dried fruit, butter, brown sugar, mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest, and juice of half a lemon.
Either grate or slice the apple (Cam recommends the latter for a more full-bodied filling), and roughly chop the almonds. Add the brandy (that’s two tablespoons – to the cheeky chefs emptying the bottle, we see you!), and crack the egg on top.
Mix thoroughly. Never mind if the brown sugar starts to clump – it will break down more so in the cooking process.
Allow the fruit mix to macerate for 15 minutes.
In a bowl, add the mixed dried fruit, butter, brown sugar, mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest, juice of half a lemon, apple, almonds, brandy, and egg.
4. Roll, Cut, and Craft (04:55)
Take your dough (*sigh* not that dough, put your wallet away), and roll flat to roughly 2mm thick.
If your pastry is too thick, it will still be raw after cooking – though if it’s too thin, your pies will fall apart. Ever been stretched too thin, to the point where you just crumble in a heap on the floor? Yeah.
Space the tart shells evenly across the sheet of pastry, and use a knife to portion the pastry to size. Gently press the pastry square to the sides of the shell, apply pressure from the top to cut the shell to size, and pull away the excess pastry from the rim.
Roll the excess the pastry flat, and use the biscuit cutters to form pastry stars (these will be placed on top for presentation).
Roll the dough flat to roughly 2mm thick.
If your pastry is too thick, it will be raw – though if it’s too thin, your pies will fall apart.
Space the tart shells evenly across the sheet of pastry, and use a knife roughly portion the pastry to size.
Gently press the pastry square to the sides of the shell.
Apply pressure from the top to cut the shell to size.
Pull away the excess pastry from the rim.
Use the biscuit cutters to form pastry stars.
5. Fill the Shells (06:55)
Scoop the filling into the pastry shells, taking care not to include too much of the syrup.
Place the pastry stars on top.
Scoop the filling into the pastry shells.
Place the pastry stars on top.
6. Cook the Pies (07:19)
Your cobblestone should now be white. If it’s still black, this indicates a carbon presence (which will impact the flavour of your food).
Place the fenced roasting rack onto the Cobb. This will keep the pies from burning on the on the base of the Cobb (which is now considerably hot).
Heat the rack in the Cobb with the lid on for a minute or two, before placing the pies straight on the rack.
Leave to cook for 10-20 minutes.
The fenced roasting rack onto the Cobb will keep the pies from burning on the on the base.
Place the pies straight on the rack.
Leave to cook for 10-20 minutes.
7. Remove the Pies (08:26)
When the pastry is golden brown, remove the pies from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
When the pastry is golden brown, remove the pies from the heat.
8. Present the Pies (08:51)
Remove the pies from their shells, and dust with icing sugar. This gives the pies a snow-flecked look, and a smack of sweetness to round out the nutty shortcrust and spicy fruit mince.
Remove the pies from their shells.
Dust with icing sugar for a snow-flecked look, and a smack of sweetness!
9. The Finished Product (09:08)
Be it with a bottle of brandy, or pastry-caked fingers – you gotta hand it to Cam and his festive fruit mince pies this Christmas at the campsite.
You gotta hand it to Cam and his festive fruit mince pies this Christmas – be them cooked in your kitchen oven, or at the campsite.