Traditional Mince Pies

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Mince pies have been eaten as part of a traditional British Christmas from as long ago as the 16th century. Then, they were made of meat but are now made with sweet mincemeat; a mixture of dried fruits, sugar, spices and brandy.

Christmas without mince pies was unimaginable at my grandmother’s house and, I will always cherish fond memories of my grandmother’s cooling trays piled high with freshly bakes mince pies on Christmas Eve, ready to be packed into tins and brought out whenever friends popped in for Christmas drinks.

Here I share this easy recipe for the rich, sticky, sweet fruits wrapped in pastry and you will see why they are so popular.


INGREDIENTS


  • 400g dried mixed fruits
  • 200g(1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
  • 50g almonds, finely chopped
  • 1 granny Smith apple, peeled, quartered, cored coarsely grated
  • 40g melted butter
  • 4 Tbsp brandy
  • 3 Tbsp finely grated lemon rind 
  • 1 Tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp mixed spice
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1 egg, lightly whisked
  • white sugar, to dust

PASTRY

  • 300g plain flour
  • 70g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
  • 160g chilled butter chopped
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 Tbsp iced water


METHOD

  1. Finely chop half mixed fruit. place in a large bowl. add the brown sugar, apple, almond, butter, brandy,lemon rind, lemon juice, cinnamon, mixed spice , nutmeg and the remaining mixed fruits. stir until well combined. cover with plastic wrap and set aside overnight, stirring occasionally, to marinate. transfer the fruit mixture to a fine sieve over a bowl and stir to remove excess liquid.
  2. To make the pastry, place the flour, sugar and the butter in the bowl and rub together to a crumb consistency. add the egg yolk and water and mix together. tip out onto a lightly floured surface and fold until the pastry comes together, be careful not to over mix. wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 20 minutes to rest.
  3. Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick, use an 8.5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to cut 20 discs from the pastry. use a 7cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 20 covers from the remaining pastry.
  4. line twenty 80ml(1/3 cup) capacity muffin pans with pastry discs (see tip 2). divide the fruit mince among the pastry cases. top with pastry covers and press  to seal. glaze with the rest of the egg, sprinkle with caster sugar, then make a small cut in the tops. bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden. set aside in the pan for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES

TIP 1: Don't over mix the pastry or it will be tough.
TIP 2: To make the pastry cases, use the balls of your fingers to press the pastry discs neatly into the edge of each pan.
MAKE IT AHEAD: Make this recipe up to 4 days ahead. store in an airtight container. to give as gifts, place in cellophane bags tied with ribbon, or in decorative boxes lined with tissue paper.




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Cheers and happy eating!!!!!!

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