Mince Pies
source: Donna Hay
Ingredients
¼ cup candied peel
⅓ cup currants
⅓ cup sultanas
⅓ slivered almonds
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 tablespoons sherry
30g (1oz) butter, melted
700g (1½lb) ready-prepared shortcrust pastry
caster (superfine) sugar for sprinkling
fruit filling
Method
1. To perpare the fruit filling, place the apple, sultanas, candied peel, currants, almonds, sugar, mixed spice, butter and sherry in a bowl.
2. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).
4. Roll out the pastry until 2mm (⅛in) thick.
5. Cut into 7cm (2¾ in) rounds using a cookie cutter and place in shallow patty tins.
6. Place 3 teaspoons of fruit mixture in each tart.
7. Cut stars from the remaining pastry and place on top of the fruit mixture.
8. Brush with the egg, sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
9. Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Makes 22.
Traditional Mince Pies
source: Delia Smith
Ingredients
1¼lb (560g) mincemeat
3oz (75g) butter
3oz (75g) lard
12oz (350g) plain flour
pinch of salt
For the top:
a little milk
icing sugar
Equipment
You will also need one (or two) trays of 2½ inch (6 cm) patty tins, one fluted 3 inch (7.5 cm) pastry cutter and one 2½ inch (6 cm) cutter.
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).
2. Make up the pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and rubbing the fats into it until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
3. Then add just enough cold water to mix to a dough that leaves the bowl clean. Leave the pastry to rest in a polythene bag in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
4. Then roll half of it out as thinly as possible and cut it into two dozen 3 inch (7.5 cm) rounds, gathering up the scraps and re-rolling.
5. Then do the same with the other half of the pastry, this time using the 2½ inch (6 cm) cutter.
6. Now grease the patty tins lightly and line them with the larger rounds.
7. Fill these with mincemeat to the level of the edges of the pastry.
8. Dampen the edges of the smaller rounds of pastry with water and press them lightly into position to form lids, sealing the edges. Brush each one with milk and make three snips in the tops with a pair of scissors.
9. Bake near the top of the oven for 25-30 minutes until light golden brown. Cool on a wire tray and sprinkle with icing sugar. When cool, store in an airtight container.
Makes 24 mince pies