When I was visiting Coventry, I asked my local friends about the typical foods from the area. One of the suggestions was a meatball called a faggot, made mostly from pork and offal (aka guts). It did not sound very appetising, so although we found a place that serves it, I continued my search. Luckily, I found a recipe for Coventry God Cakes, which sounded a lot tastier. In fact, it is basically like a triangular, puff-pastry version of a mince pie.
We decided to try to find them in Coventry city centre. However, it was not easy and we could only find one place that had them on the regular menu, Baxter Baristas. They had some available and we almost bought the whole stock. They are very tasty if you enjoy the spicy flavour of mince pies. Additionally, I like the puff pastry rather than the shortcrust pastry, as it is lighter and crispier. This is a simple recipe for Coventry God Cakes.
Ingredients
1 (475g) ready-rolled ready-made puff pastry
300g mincemeat
1 egg white, whisked
Granules of sugar for sprinkling
1 Tbsp dark rum (optional)
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 200C (390F)
First, cut the pastry into squares about 12 evenly-sized squares (next time I would just make 6 larger ones). Then cut each square on the diagonal to produce two triangles.
Next, in a small mixing bowl, combine the mincemeat with the rum (optional).
Then place a small spoonful of mincemeat in the middle of each triangle. Moisten the edges of each triangle with a little water, cover with another triangle and press the edges firmly to seal.
Brush the top of each triangle with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle with the sugar. Finally, make three slits in the top. According to the ones I tried at Baxter Baristas in Coventry, the slits were made stacked on top of each other perpendicular to the top of the main triangle point and the bottom (longest side of the triangle). Others I have seen online make the slits between the two triangle points and perpendicular to both points. I prefer the look of the Baxter slits, but it is up to your preference.
Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or until golden. Then remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
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