The English Christmas staple features dried fruit and can be served on its own or with cream or vanilla ice cream for a more decadent touch. (Photo courtesy of Petty Elliott)
We have all the resources available to create the most delicious, healthy and expensive product the world loves Mince pies are British classic fruit-based confectionery traditionally served during the Christmas season. Not to be confused with minced meat, it contains a range of dried fruit and spices such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
The original 13th century recipe contained meat and continued through to the Victorian era, after which it become sweeter and smaller in size. Mince pie remains a popular seasonal treat.
Beef suet is often used to bolster the flavor and mixing brandy into the chopped dried fruits helps keep the mincemeat for a long time. The pies are often prepared months before Christmas, which enhances the flavor.
I adore this little Christmas treat. It is not difficult to make your own especially with dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas and dates that are available in Jakarta. If you add pineapple jam, it is quite delicious and will remind Indonesians of nastar, a local cookie made with pineapple jam.
For this week’s recipe I present the classic mincemeat without suet. It is very easy to make and you don’t need a lot of time. I hope you enjoy it.
Mince pies
This makes a batch of fruity, flavorsome pies. It is perfect to serve with brandy butter or with vanilla ice cream, or just plain cream if you wish, or simply on its own. Makes 24.
Ingredients
350 gr flour; 100 gr caster sugar; 3 egg yolks; 175 gr butter.
Mincemeat: 200 gr raisin; 100 ml water; 125 gr dried apricot, chopped into small pieces; 100 gr dates; 3 tablespoons orange marmalade; 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes; Zest and juice of one orange; Zest of one lemon; 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar; 1 teaspoon each ground cloves, cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg; 50 ml brandy or cognac or orange-flavored liqueur, optional.
Directions:
1. First make the mincemeat: place the raisins in a pan and add 100 ml water and cook until the water has evaporated.
2. Add the rest of the mincemeat ingredients except the alcohol and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
3. Add the brandy or cognac if you choose to use it. Transfer the mixture into a jar and keep in the refrigerator. Make sure the texture is juicy and moist. It should not be dry. Set aside. You can keep this in the refrigerator if you wish for up to a week.
4. When you are ready to bake, mix all the ingredients for the pastry in a food processor. The mixture will immediately combine.
5. Form the dough into a ball, put in a clean bowl, cover with cling film and chill for at least an hour. In the meantime, remove the mincemeat mixture from the refrigerator and transfer into a bowl.
6. Cut the dough in half. Roll out one half of the pasty on a lightly floured surface to a 3 millimeter thickness. Using an 8 centimeter pastry cutter, cut out 12 pastry circles. Use 12 non-stick tart tins, each 5.5 cm in diameter. Line each one with pastry, and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
7. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
8. Meanwhile, roll and cut out the remaining pastry. Line a second tart tin and chill. Gather the pastry scraps together into a ball, roll out and using a 3.5 cm star-shaped cookie cutter and an 8 cm round-shaped cookie or pastry cutter, make star and round shapes to place on top of each pie.
9. Fill each tart with a generous portion of mincemeat — 1 tablespoon is about the right amount, and top with a star and round shape pastry. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool for around 5 minutes before carefully removing the pies from the tin onto a wire rack to cool.
10. Dust with icing sugar all over the pies to create a snowfall affect. Serve.
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