The introduction and recipes given below were kindly provided by my Mum. We make mince pies together most years and they always turn out lovely! They are quite different to other people’s that I have tried because the pastry cases are thinner and much less crumbly, which I do prefer!
Introduction
Mince pies are an essential part of Christmas! While an American mince pie is traditionally large and served in slices, a British mince pie is much smaller and several can easily be eaten by one person in one sitting. Whatever way they are made and served, they are the culinary treat served any time around Christmas as the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee, or a glass of wine, mulled wine or sherry. Of course, Father Christmas must have his mince pie with a glass of sherry before ascending the chimney again!
Mince pies have a long history. They must always have been associated with having fun, as the puritanical Oliver Cromwell allegedly passed a law in the 1650s, in his capacity of Lord Protector, making it illegal to eat them on Christmas Day! Interestingly, according to the New Zealand Herald of 7th November 2007, this law was voted the 4th most ridiculous British law in a 2007 poll (a law against dying came first!). One is also apparently supposed to eat them in silence to obtain the maximum enjoyment!
For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of tasting a mince pie, they comprise a pastry case filled with mincemeat, and although they can be baked in advance and kept for a while in a tin, they are most delicious served slightly warm. So, what is mincemeat?
As the name implies, you would expect this to be ‘minced meat’. Originally, meat or liver was one of the ingredients, alongside various types of fruit and alcohol to make it an especially delicious and nutritious treat for Christmas. Later the meat was dropped from the ingredients and replaced by shredded suet, which only relatively recently has been dropped on health grounds! On account of the pastry, mince pies are probably not that great for your cholesterol level, even without the suet, but well worth it for a treat!
Delicious and ‘healthy’ mincemeat can be bought in jars which start to appear on supermarket shelves as Christmas approaches. However, the homemade version can be even more delicious and equally healthy! Try this traditional recipe for mincemeat which has been handed down through the generations in my family and has been very well tried and tested!
Remember that mincemeat improves with time, so if possible it should be made at least six weeks before Christmas!
Recipe for mincemeat (makes about 4 jars)
Ingredients
- 250 g of raisins
- 250 g of sultanas
- 250 g of currants
- 250 g of apples (peeled, cored and finely diced)
- 250 g of caster sugar (fine white sugar)
- 50 g candied peel
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- Ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg: a liberal shaking of both
- Approx. 50 ml of brandy or rum
Instructions
- Put all of the fruit into a large mixing bowl and add the salt, spices and brandy/rum last of all. Mix everything thoroughly. Tie a piece of grease-proof paper over the bowl and leave it to stand for a few days.
- After a few days, give it a good stir, adding a drop more brandy/rum if you so wish! Now the mincemeat is ready to put into jars. Store the jars in a cool, dry place.
Recipe for mince pies
For the British version, you will need a mince pie / shallow muffin tin (traditionally called a ‘patty tin’).
Ingredients for the pastry cases: (makes 30–40 pies)
- 450 g of plain flour
- 250 g of butter or vegetable/olive oil margarine (as a solid block, not “spreadable” in a tub)
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- 1 egg yolk
- Cold water (about 4 tablespoons)
- Milk
- Powdered (icing) sugar (optional)
Instructions (to make small, British-style mince pies)
- Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Cut the butter/margarine into cubes and then rub it into the flour mixture using your fingers, or a special gadget designed for the job (very nice as your hands don’t get messy!).
- Add the egg yolk and the cold water (carefully, spoon by spoon) and stir using a knife, until you can form a firm lump of dough with your hands. If you have time to spare, put the ball of dough into the fridge to cool for a few minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F / gas mark 6.
- Place the dough on a floured board or worktop and roll out. Lightly grease the patty tins. Using two sizes of round fluted cutters, approximately 8 cm and 6 cm in diameter (depending on the size of your tins) cut out bottoms and tops until you run out of dough, or mincemeat for the fillings. Use the bottoms to line the patty tins, and then fill them with mincemeat. Dampen the edges of the smaller circles with milk using a pastry brush. Then place them on top of the mincemeat, sealing the edges with your fingers. You might want to gently prick the tops of the mince pies using a fork or cocktail stick. These holes will let out the steam as the pies cook. Brush the tops of the pies with milk and sprinkle with caster sugar.
- Bake the pies until they are a nice pale brown, remove from the tin, and place on a cooling rack. They take only 10–15 minutes to bake so your tins are quickly ready for re-use, and you can soon accumulate a big pile of beautiful little pies!
- If you wish, you can sprinkle some powdered sugar on top of the pies. This makes them taste nicer and look prettier!
They are now ready for your Christmas visitors, and for your family and you to enjoy!
