Ultimate Mince Pie Recipe...?

[veg4681]

I used to make my own mince pies but now I prefer to have the bought ones (the luxury version for Christmas) because the pastry is more crumbly with melt in your mouth feel. Making pastry is too much hassle for me so I've also resorted to bought shortcrust pastry in the past.

For my minced meat, I've tried copying Sainsbury's Taste the Difference (or similar) off the label by adding to the ordinary bought minced meat some cooking apples, rice flour, walnuts (or nuts of your choice), brandy, more nutmeg & cinammon (besides I find mince meat too sweet).

Mince pie can also be made with filo pastry (3 small square sheets layered to form a star shape) and puff pastry (like vol-au-vent). Sprinkling of grated rind of orange to the mince meat is commonly mentioned in recipes.

[seasprout]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm writing a shopping list for some cooking fun on Sunday, (I'm in London Sat.)
Will have a go at the mincemeat recipe.

[rustylady]

I'm quite happy with bought mince pies (luxury - not basic). My only requirement is for the pies to be warmed, have the lids prised carefully off, a large dollop of clotted cream placed on top of the mincemeat and the lid replaced. Eat and enjoy. The pies are warm, the cream is cold and rich (just starting to melt round the edges). Got to go, I'm drooling.

[Alison]

It's nice to put some orange and lemon zest into the pastry when making mince pies, gives them a really nice taste, can also use orange juice instead of part of the water. If I'm wanting really posh ones, I put a teaspoonfull of cream cheese on top of the mincemeat, sounds odd but is really nice.

Re mincemeat, I have made my own but don't always bother and as I'm not keen on suet based ones, mine tends to be more fruity / appley than some. Can't remember the recipe but will look it out later.

[shirley]

I make my own mincemeat which is suet free and contains cider...if any one interested i can post later. As for the pastry i use 2 types depending on my patience. first is
5oz cold butter
8oz plain flour
2oz ground almonds
2oz caster sugar
1 orange zest only
1 egg yolk
1-2 tablspoons water approx


2nd pastry recipes is my fav but a bit of a pain

called sweet paste or pate sucre

10oz plain flour
61/2oz butter
3oz caster sug
2 small egg yolks
approx 4 teasoons water

sift the flour and salt into bowl. cut butter in small pieces and rub into flour mix sug then egg yolks and enough cold water to make a stiff dough. wrap in cling film and into fridge .

after approx 1/2hr roll pastry on to lightly floured baord and line patty tins. fill with mincmeat and either top with pastry or i cut out stars from the pastry.
Set oven gas 6
200c/400f
bake until paste is set. these are really crumbly but delicious

[SarzWix]

I just use a bog-standard pastry recipe, but do half butter/half veg shortening for the fat, replace a couple of big spoonfuls of flour with cornflour, and add half a teaspoon of ground allspice & a couple of spoonfuls of vanilla caster sugar. Makes lovely pastry, especially if I chuck it all in the food-processor so that it doesn't get 'over-handled'.
I usually make my own mincemeat too, from a recipe in 'The Cotswold Cookbook'. Haven't got it to hand at mo tho. However, I don't stick religiously to the recipe - I often add glace ginger, 'luxury' mixed dried fruit if I have any, or anything else that takes my fancy on the day of making. I tried flaked coconut one year, but that didn't quite work...

[TPeers]

The mince pie is only as good as the mincemeat. Mine is based on Mrs Beeton's but I vary it as the mood suits me - you just need the basic proportions. It's all in Imperial measures.

1lb 4 oz cooking apples (prepared weight)
1 lb currants
1 lb seedless raisins
8 ox sultanas
4 os candied peel
1 lb suet ( beef or veggie)
1 lb sugar
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
1 level teaspoon ground nutmet
quarter teaspoon ground cloves
quarter teaspoon ground cinnamon
half teasp salt
eighth pint brandy.

I chop and change as I fancy. I use brown sugar. I like more cloves. I keep the overall weights of dried fruits the same but subsitute some cranberries and/or apricots for some of the raisins, some blueberries for some of the currant. - the world's your lobster!


Peel and core the apples. Put these with the dried fruits and peel through the mincer. This gives a nice thick smooth mincemeat which I prefer to the 'goo-with-currants-in' type you can get in supermarkets if you're not careful.
Add the other ingredients and mix well. Pot into clean dry jars. If poss keep for a few weeks (if you make it now you can do your mince pies the week before Christmas) as the flavours do meld and mature. It makes quite a lot - I'm using a 2lb jar from last year for this year's pies. It keeps VERY well!

As to pastry - I don't think you can beat a plain shortcrust. I don't like the shop ones that seem more like shortbread and crumble all over your nice Christmas outfit! But, each to his own as they say. When they are ready to go in the oven I brush with milk and sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top which gives a crisp crust.

I used to make my own mincemeat - to Mrs B of course - kept it in an enormous old pickel jar. Did have it ferment one year! (should have eaten more pies....)

If anyone wants to preserve their preserve.....

Make up your mincemeat as per Flums recipe - mincing is not essential but improves the consistancy in my view - be sure you DO use some form of suet. Place the mix into glass jars and stand on a tray - place into a moderate oven and cook until the suet has melted and the pots are bubbling. Remove from oven and seal.

The suet will 'cake' on top of the mixture, so each jar will need stiring before use but this method seals the fruit under the suet and should therefore stop the apples form fermenting.

[Farmer_Gyles]

i've always made basic mince pies with basic pastry and shop bought mincemeat - never had the time to do more - i'm tempted to give these recipes a go this year ... or next ... or maybe someone can just send me some mince pies ..... or maybe i should lay off the mince pies for a change .... ??

why do they call it mincemeat when there's no meat in it?

[JanieB]

It used to be minced meat with some fruit in. The suet is the remaining relic of that. Personally, I often exchange the suet for white vegetable fat so that vegetarians can eat them too. Nobody yet has noticed any difference in the taste .

[Hazel at the Hill]

i've always made basic mince pies with basic pastry and shop bought mincemeat - never had the time to do more - i'm tempted to give these recipes a go this year ... or next ... or maybe someone can just send me some mince pies ..... or maybe i should lay off the mince pies for a change .... ??

why do they call it mincemeat when there's no meat in it?

Go on - give it a go! Bet that as a family 'activity' making mincemeat will be fun for the kids too!

[Flummery]

I used to make my own mincemeat - to Mrs B of course - kept it in an enormous old pickel jar. Did have it ferment one year! (should have eaten more pies....)

If anyone wants to preserve their preserve.....

That's the function of the brandy or rum - plenty of liquor and it won'r start to fizz on its own!

[terrier]

Buy Tesco's finest mince pies and when you get home, inject them with 10ml of sloe gin, warm gently and eat immediately accompanied by a glass of good port (or several). HIC!

[TPeers]

That's the function of the brandy or rum - plenty of liquor and it won't start to fizz on its own!

So my mistake...... married a teetotaler!

(then again...... was it a mistake? Hummmm! Hic!)

[SarzWix]

Seems the right time of year to revive this thread

And I've found the Cotswold Cookbook recipe I mentioned earlier (last year ), so here it is (sorry it's in 'old money', but that's all there is in this book!)

Whisky Mincemeat

12oz raisins
6oz currants
4oz shredded suet
4oz soft brown sugar
2 small/1 large cooking apple, peeled and finely chopped
1 orange
1 lemon
3 tablespoons whisky (or brandy, or rum)
1 level teaspoon mixed spice (or to taste)

Put the dried fruit in a bowl and mix in the sugar to coat. Add the suet, the chopped apples, then grate the rinds of the orange and lemon into it, stir well. Squeeze out the juice of both and add to the mixture. Sprinkle the spice over then stir in the whisky. Mix well and leave covered for an hour. Give the mincemeat another stir, then pack into clean, dry jars. Cover with waxed discs and seal down. Store in a cool dry place. Keeps for up to a month.

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I've varied the recipe a bit, so long as the combined weight of dry ingredients stays the same (1lb 2oz), you can try substituting in some glace ginger, glace cherries, dried pineapple/apricot/mango etc, chopped nuts... Also this time I've swapped the whisky for cherry brandy, slightly more to make up for the lower ABV. Smells nice enough

[Rhona]

I'm not a massive mince pie lover, but I've made Gordon Ramsey Claridges mince pies for the last two years and will again this Chrimbo. I've posted the recipe - they're a little bit more fiddly, but they are GORGEOUS and everyone loves them! The crumble topping is very yummy!


Claridge’s Mince Pies recipe | Recipes - Times Online