Christmas Mince Pies

 

My grandmother always made mincemeat pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I never really liked them very much. I think it's one of those acquired tastes (the alcohol? The raisins?) or maybe she just wasn't very good at making mincemeat-- I have no idea. I only know I categorized mincemeat pies with fruit cake-- that is, they were The Dread Holiday Desserts To Be Avoided. And avoid them I did. For decades.

Then a few years ago Jack and I spent the Christmas holidays in the London flat. My kids were all with their Dad that year and we seized the opportunity to get out of New York. Jack bought a package of tiny little mince pies, which I eyed with a great deal of skepticism. I knew they'd taste like crap. First of all, they were MINCE, which I didn't like, and secondly they were from Sainsburys. They were grocery store pies! They had to be crappy, right? Wrong. Late into the evening after dinner, a lot of wine and dessert had been demolished, and around the time we'd opened an excellent bottle of cognac, Jack disappeared into the kitchen. He soon returned with coffee and a plate of the little mince pies he had warmed in the oven. They were cute, I had to admit it. Perfect little pies with a dusting of sparkly sugar on top. To be a good sport I took a small cautious bite and... ooh... it was sweet and savory... it was subtle... it was... FABULOUS!

"Are there more?" I asked. Alas, we only had one per person. The very next day I went and bought more. I developed an extreme fondness for them.

I won't be in London this year for the holidays, nor was I last year. I miss those mince pies. So I did what any food blogger worth her salt would do: I decided to recreate them for myself. This turns out to be a more complex project than you might initially expect. First I made my own mixed peel, and then after some research I made the mince. Then I let it sit for a few weeks.

Use your favorite shortcrust recipe-- enough for two regular sized pies. There are some good recipes over at The Mini Pie Revolution headquarters (oh, and even though I can't win a prize, this is my entry for this month's Revolution event). Once you've made the dough, divide it in half and wrap it in plastic and give it a rest for about an hour in your refrigerator.

Prehat your oven to 375 F and, assuming you've already made your mince, you're all set. I used a mini muffin tin and a round cookie cutter (about 3 inches across) to stamp out 24 individual pie crust bottoms. Gently line each muffin depression with the dough and then prick the bottoms with a fork. Spoon about a teaspoon of mince into each crust.

Now roll out the other half of your dough and use a smaller round (about 2 inches across) to stamp out the tops. Poke a hole in the top of each round, or you can use a cookie cutter in the shape of a tiny star, if you like. As you accumulate stars you can line them up around the outside of a few of your little pies (as in my photo). Once all of your pies have tops, brush all of the exposed dough with an egg wash (one egg beaten with a little milk or water). Serve warm with cream or brandy butter or just eat them plain.

(Ronell, the coffee and pie are for you... it was your comment on my Mince post that inspired me to take the photo)

Comments

[Adele]

These look very, very tasty. :)

[sugarlaws]

Wait... there is no meat in mince? Or is mince different from mincemeat? I have always just assumed that those pies are definitely not for vegetarians!

[Karyn]

You rock the mini pie world.

I just got my computer back. My pie's will have to wait until this weekend/ Christmas - but I'm so happy to see that you've picked up my mini pie-making slack!

[Cakespy]

Ann, those are simply adorable! The texture on the crust is driving me mad, and the stars are just making my head spin with their adorableness.

[myfrenchkitchen]

Hie, hie...tasted goood! Love your cup, it looks so beautifully old. I ordered my youngest to bring some mince pies from the UK when she comes home for Christmas, since I'm a lousy baker and you're too far!
ronell

[Ann]

Adele, they were. I'm in love with them.

sugarlaws, in the old days mincemeat always had meat in it-- mainly because large amounts of sugar acted as a preservative. Nowadays the one remaining nod to meat is the use of "shredded suet" which I avoided by using vegetable shortening. So yes, mince pies can be vegetarian friendly!

Karyn, I blame you for all this mini pie activity. And so do my hips. :-)

cakespy, awww... that's high praise indeed coming from the creator of Cupcake Guy! Maybe mini pies CAN take over the world. :-)

Ronell, I inherited the cup and saucer, along with three more just like them, from my Grandmother. I believe she bought them in England the one and only time she ever left the United States. I love blue and white china and really love that set in particular. Enjoy the mince pies!

[Cakelaw]

These look delightful - I want one now!

[Zenchef]

Those look so delicious! Mince pies shouldn't be underestimated, they are quite complex.
Looks like you're about to take over the world with mini-pies!
:-)

[Ann]

Cakelaw, I have some in the freezer if you want to drop by... :-)

Zenchef, I agree with you-- they require a real balance of flavor and a good crust to offset the filling. I meant to make some brandy cream but never got around to it. Next year.