Beef Purses

Here’s  a recipe I found on a cookbook it was offered me by some friends  in London.
We went in Portobello’s Road and we entered the most amazing cookbooks-library I 've ever seen  since now . They asked me to choose a book and that’s the one I chose http://www.francinesegan.com/sk.html a book that I love so much , a source of inspiration for me, tough I think recipes are not so precise in quantities sometimes .
The recipe I made for Xmas is called ‘Beef Purses ‘ and I here it is , with some little changes of mine . It’s simply delicious so …..make full of them !

The recipe

The filling :

400 gr of ground round or sirloin
¼ of teaspoon of ground rosemary
½ cup of currants
1 tablespoon of fiely chopped candied ginger
¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
½ tablespoon of light brown sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
A  pinch of freshly grounded long pepper

A tablespoon of duck's grease or a tsp of olive oil

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let refrigerate at least 6 hours , better overnight . Remove the mixture from the refrigerator 1 hour before baking .

The dough :

4OO gr of sifted pastry flour

2 egg’s yolks beaten
200 gr of butter cut in small cubes
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of sugar
iced sparkling water ( approx 50ml )
1 egg’s yolk beaten with 1 tsp of water

Mix the flour , the salt, the sugar and the butter with the tips of your hands till crumbly , make a hole in the middle , add the egg’s yolks and the water and mix toghether to obtain a smooth dough . Add a little bit of water if too dry . Flatten the dough with a rolling pin , fold the dough in three , flatten again , refold in three  ( you’ll obtain a perfect rectangle ) . Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour , better overnight.

Preheat the oven at 350° F or 180° C .

Cut the dough in two , keep one piece in the refrigerator .Roll out  the dough ½ inch on a floured surface , cut circles using a 3,5-inch round ring cutter , place a full teaspoon of the  meat mixture on each circle , fold in two and pinch the edges to seal . Brush the purses with the mixture  egg-water and place them on a baking-pan covered with a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes , until golden.