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mince pies - british christmas recipe

Mince Pies Recipe

Vijitha Mammen
A traditional British Christmas pie, filled with mincemeat - a rich preserve of boozy chopped dried fruits and spices. This recipe is an attempt to recreate the medieval version of mince pies which contained meat.
5 from 6 votes
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Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine British, English
Servings 45

Equipment

Silicone Muffin Pan

Ingredients
  

For Mincemeat

  • 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tsp Red Wine an inexpensive, sweet one
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Brown Sugar granulated - ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp
  • 2 cups Cranberries
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
  • 1 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1/2 cup Raisins
  • 1/4 cup Chopped Dried Fig
  • Zest of half an Orange
  • Juice of 1 Orange
  • 1 tbsp Butter or less
  • 1/2 cup Ground meat
  • 1 1/2 tsp Red wine
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 3 tbsp Chopped Almonds
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 3 tbsp Brandy / Rum / Whiskey

For Pastry

  • Store-bought Rolled Puff Pastry
  • Butter Just enough to grease the baking tray
  • 1 Egg

For topping

  • Powdered sugar optional
  • Brandy butter optional

Instructions
 

Preparing Mincemeat

  • Take brown sugar and ¼ cup of red wine in a large saucepan. Heat on low flame and stir gently till the sugar dissolves.
  • Add cranberries, ground spices, raisins, chopped dried fig, orange zest and orange juice.
  • Simmer and cook till the fruits break down and most of the liquid is reduced. (It took me 15 minutes for this.)
  • Switch the flame off, and keep the pan covered.
  • In a frying pan, take some butter, just enough to grease the pan. If you are using a non-stick frying pan, you can avoid using butter.
  • Add the ground meat, salt and 1½ tsp of red wine to the frying pan. Heat it on low flame and saute till the meat looks cooked. Switch the flame off and keep aside.
  • Now, take the sauce pan with the spiced fruit mixture. Squish the cranberries and other fruits using a potato masher or the back of a spoon.
  • To the fruit mixture, add the cooked meat (along with any fat released), chopped almonds, honey and brandy / rum / whiskey.
  • Mix well. The mincemeat is ready.
  • Cool completely and transfer to sterilised jars. They can be stored in the fridge for a week.

Assembling & Baking the Pies

  • Grease a muffin baking mould or a tartlet tin with butter.
  • Lay a single sheet of rolled puff pastry flat on a board. Cut out circles from the pastry sheet. The circles should only be slightly wider than a single muffin / tartlet mould. Place these circles into the moulds.
    mince pies recipe - step by step instructions
  • Poke holes on the pastry using a fork. This helps retain the shape while baking.
    mince pies recipe - step by step instructions
  • Spoon a teaspoon of mincemeat into each.
    mince pies recipe - step by step instructions
  • Next, cut out the pastry toppers. You can use cookie cutters for this. I used star-shaped ones.
  • Place the pastry toppers on the mincemeat filled pies.
    mince pies recipe - step by step instructions
  • Prepare an egg wash by beating a whole egg in a small bowl and brushing it onto the pastry topper and edges of the pie crust.
    mince pies recipe - step by step instructions
  • Bake at 180 deg C for 10 minutes or till the pie toppers start browning.
  • Remove from the oven. Take the tiny pies out of the baking tray and cool completely.
  • Dust with powdered sugar and serve on its own or with brandy butter.

Notes

  • For vegetarian mince pies, just skip the meat. For a closer version of the meaty mince pies, substitute the meat with an equal amount of chopped mushrooms.
  • For non-alcoholic mince pies, substitute the brandy / rum / whiskey with an equal amount of orange / apple juice.
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