With my in-laws in residence we’ve been working our way through out “must do again” list of recipes.  Catering has become a social whirl with chatter and laughter as we improvise our way through the cooking process.  Every now and again there’ll be a helpful suggestion, an army of volunteers to taste work in progress and when the pressure is on a natural pecking order where all the troops bow down to the nominated executive chef for that meal.

It was a peaceful moment where I was able to take back my kitchen to make some mince pies for a friend popping around for coffee.  I thought I’d rustle up some mince pies with a spot of Christmas easy listening in the background.  Things were going smoothly until I reached into the cupboard for the cooking tin and then panic set in.  It’s been years since I baked mince pies and for all the gadgets that we have in our kitchen a patty tin, the must had bakeware for this culinary speciality, is something we simply do not have.

Fear not, with a little festive improvisation I was able to rustle up something that carried the minced meat and although a rather unconventional upside down mince pie they tasted just as they should.  Or at least no one complained!