Mince Pies

This recipe is in categories Baking, Party food

About this recipe

Healthiness : (15 votes) Difficulty: 3 out of 5 difficulty

Preparation Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Number of servings: 24
Serving suggestions: Serve with cream or custard

Mincemeat was originally a mixture of meat, dried fruit and spices. It was baked in a large rectangular pie in Medieval and Tudor times, which represented Christ's bed (manger). Over the years, less meat was used until by Georgian times, the mincemeat contained no meat at all - resembling our modern mincemeat. However, meat was still used in some households as late as mid-Victorian times.

Mincemeat still, traditionally, contains beef suet but many people prefer to use vegetarian suet these days. At Christmas time, it is traditionally used in mince pies. Mince pies normally have a pastry top, but a wide variety of pies and tarts are can now made or purchased. This recipe uses a traditional pastry cases and tops.

Ingredients

250g butter (room temperature)
500g plain flour
pinch of salt
180g caster sugar
2 vanilla pods
550g good quality sweet mincemeat
2 eggs (beaten)
icing sugar for dusting

Equipment

Weighing Scales
9-Hole Bun tins
Rolling Pin
Large Cutter
Teaspoon
Small Cutter
Food Brush
Wire Rack

Making and cooking it

Always wash your hands before preparing food.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using an electric whisk
Cut the vanilla pods in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add to the butter mixture and mix
Gradually add the beaten egg
Sift in the flour
Using your hands, combine the pastry into a ball and knead it for a minute
Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°f/Gas Mark 6/
Grease two 12-hole bun tins
Sprinkle flour onto a clean work surface and roll out the pastry to 4mm thick
Using a large cutter, cut out 24 rounds (big enough to cover the bottom and sides of a bun tin hole) and put 1 into each hole of the bun tins
Spoon a teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry case
Dip your finger into a small glass of water and run it around the top of each pastry case - this will help the lids to stick
Using a smaller cutter, cut out 24 pastry lids, big enough to cover the top of the bun tin hole (you may have to collect up the leftover pastry and form it into a ball and roll it out again)
Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal
Brush the tops of the pies with some milk
Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack
To serve, lightly dust with icing sugar

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Name: Arthur	22nd November 2015
I haven't had traditional, or what I refer to as real' miamceent pie since my grandmother passed away a number of years ago. My grandmother's Mincemeat was filled with meat and fruit and nuts. It was a holiday staple in my family's Christmas tradition and I think it is still quite common on Nova Scotia's south shore.

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