Sunday 3 December 2017

Advent Calendar Day 3: A Favourite Christmas recipe

I’m very partial to a mince pie, and this recipe for home-made mincemeat is especially nice.


INGREDIENTS
1 lb of finely chopped suet
1 lb of currants washed & picked
1 lb of raisins stoned & quartered
1 lb of chopped apples
1 lb of caster sugar
1/2 lb of sultanas
1/4 of a lb of shredded, mixed candied peel
2 lemons
1/2 a gill of brandy
1/2 a saltspoonful of nutmeg
1/2 a saltspoonful of mace
1/2 a saltspoonful of cinnamon

METHOD
Pare the lemons thinly, simmer the rinds in a little water until perfectly tender, then pound them or rub them through a fine sieve.  Mix all the ingredients well together, press into a jar, cover closely and keep in a cool, dry place for at least 1 month before using to make your pies.

If that sounds too fiddly you could take a shortcut and make these using shop bought mincemeat and Jus Rol shortcrust pastry.


Image and recipe Tesco

INGREDIENTS
2 x 320g packs Jus Rol ready rolled shortcrust pastry
411g traditional mincemeat
Caster sugar for sprinkling

METHOD
Preheat oven to 200°C /180°C fan/gas 4. Take the pastry out of the packaging 10-15 minutes before you are ready to use it. Unroll the pastry and using a 7.5cm cutter cut out 12-16 discs and line the base of the holes of a 12-16 muffin tin. Cut out the same number of smaller 6cm discs (using either a fluted or star-shaped cutter) for the lids and set aside. Re-roll the offcuts until you have enough lids.
Drop 2 teaspoons of mincemeat into each case, lightly moisten the undersides of the pastry lids with water and use to top tarts, pressing gently at the edges to seal.
Make a tiny hole in the top of each pie with the tip of a sharp knife (to allow any steam to escape), brush with water, sprinkle with the caster sugar and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Sprinkle with a little more sugar and allow to stand in the tin for 2-3 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack. Once completely cool, these tasty festive treats can be put in an airtight container and frozen for up to a month. Simply defrost at room temperature for an hour. To serve warm, just pop in the oven for 3-4 minutes at 180°C /160°C fan/gas 3.

Enjoy!

I'm linking with Julie over at Julie's Scrapbook More from my Advent Calendar tomorrow.

50 comments:

  1. I love mince pies especially the puff pastry ones.

    Julie xxxxxxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too Julie. I would be happy to eat them all year, but then they wouldn’t feel special in December, so I have to restrain myself! xxx

      Delete
  2. I love a mince pie too. Had my first one yesterday.
    Arilx

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  3. Well...I'm not going through all that...
    HeHe! When l've been to Iceland..the
    Supermarket..and bought 6 best winning
    pies for a pound..(£1)..!
    Yes! Iceland mince pies voted the best
    mince pies this Christmas, beating the
    likes of Sainsbury's, Selfridges, Waitrose,
    and Tesco...! Good for them...! :).

    Don't get me wrong..home made is o.k. But,
    if you go through that list of ingredients,
    it'll cost an arm and a leg to purchase...!
    Perhaps l'll work it out later, l'll be going
    to Lidl at ten...!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn’t know that about Iceland mince pies, I must try some.

      I usually have at least some of the ingredients in my cupboards so have not tried to work out the cost, but it would be interesting to find out. :) x

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    2. I've just had a look..on line...
      I got down to 1/2lb sultanas..and just
      passed a fiver..(£5)..have'nt bothered
      with the rest..and there's the gas/electic
      cost as well..! Home made could cost you,
      overall...£10...for say 12 mince pies....!
      No! I don't think so...!

      Delete
    3. Right, I'm off to Iceland! :-)

      Delete
    4. Don't forget to get a
      return ticket...and take a woolly
      jumper...!!! :0).

      Delete
    5. Oh no! Now I’ve got to buy a woolly jumper which will probably end up costing more than the home-made mincemeat! HeHe x

      Delete
  4. Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My pleasure Valerie, thanks for taking the time to call in.
      Have a super new week. x

      Delete
  5. Mmmmmmm.....this has the memory of the holidays. Oh Barbara, how I wish I could just wave a magic wand and appear in England, France and other parts of Europe during the holidays; I'd love to taste everything!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish that too Anita, it would be wonderful to eat mince pies while chatting with you!

      Delete
  6. My husband is the mince pie maker in our family. It used to be me but I apparently never made enough! So he takes over the kitchen every couple of days and makes 30 at a time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How lovely, could you ask him to make 30 for me – actually 10 would do I don’t like to be greedy! :-)

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  7. When my dad came to this country and later married my mom, he asked his relatives still living in Wales if they would send some of his favorite recipes - one was for mince pies, which my mom made every year for the holidays. I haven't had good mince pie since my mom and dad passed away, although this recipe looks similar and probably tastes wonderful.
    (the other recipe she made all the time was for Welsh Tea Cakes or Welsh cookies, as we called them. They were my favorites and every Christmas and birthday, my mom made a smaller batch for me as a present).

    Thanks for sharing this recipe with us today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Such lovely memories Alex, thank you for sharing them. I’ve never tried Welsh Tea Cakes, but I would like to. I might try making some one of these days, although it would be good to try some in Wales first!

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  8. I don't think I've ever had mince pie. It's not something you see here in the states much. I'll have to look for it at a specialty store!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn’t realise that Jeanie; I just assumed people everywhere ate mince pies. :) Funnily enough I’ve never tasted pumpkin pie, and yet I read about it on friends blogs all the time.

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  9. I hope you enjoy your mince pies! (Unfortunately, I've never been a fan).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love mince pies and Christmas cake and would happily eat them all year round.

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  10. A must have for Christmas.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. YUM!! I have not made them for years- now I see why I started buying them. Trust your friend Willie to find the best ones in Iceland!!! I am so enjoying this Advent Calendar, Barbara! Sending a BIG (((HUG)))!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Colleen, you’ve got to love Willie; he always finds the best things – I just need to get to Iceland and buy some before they are all gone! Thank you so much for encouraging me, knowing you are reading and enjoying the posts makes it all worthwhile. Hugs Barbara

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  12. My mother always made mince pies at Christmas time. My lazy self doesn't. I do make the cake and the shortbread though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are a bit fiddly to make and with so many on offer in the shops its very tempting to buy them ready made! I think you are doing well to make shortbread I’ve never tried that although I do make lots of cakes.

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  13. Being British, my Grandmother (grandparents raised me from birth) made mincemeat pies at Christmas each year. I never cared for them, but they seemed to be a British staple, and she seemed to enjoy making them. It's one tradition you won't find at my place, partly because suet is so hard to find in U.S. stores.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It’s funny how these traditions get started. My mum made them, so I make them (or sometimes buy them) my son used to eat them, but my grandchildren don’t so maybe they will become a thing of the past – like so many other things.

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  14. Hubby loves his mince pies so I often make him some but use bought mincemeat. He also likes the ones from Iceland. I don´t care for them myself but that means more for him! Will be doing some Christmas baking tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Enjoy your Christmas baking Darlene and if your husband can spare a mince pie, please send it my way. :)

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  15. I've seen the minced pies with and without meat.
    These look particularly festive.
    Have a great one, Barbara.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very festive and very delicious.
      Hugs Barbara

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  16. I love mince pies...what a wonderful recipe. x

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  17. LOVE mince pies, with ice cream, thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. So do I but I also like cream and/or custard. There is n nicer than a warm mince pie with something on the side!

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  18. I hope you enjoy many mince pies this season, Barbara! I can almost remember how they taste from a very long time ago. We never had it on a regular basis though and that first ingredient certainly gives me pause. :)

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    Replies
    1. Hello Marcia, I agree the suet is a worry! You might prefer Jan’s Mince Pies made the low carb way (see following comment).

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  19. Christmas and mince pies just go together don't they.

    We have a lower carb variety, it helps to keep husband Eddie's blood sugar levels low (he is a Type 2 Diabetic)
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/mince-pies-made-low-carb-way.html

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jan, I'm coming right over to take a look. x

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  20. My mom loves mincemeat pie!! Thank you! Big Hugs!

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  21. Thanks for the authentic recipe, maybe some day I'll make the scratch version! Cause I Love mincemeat pie! My grandma made them. I cheat and found a delicious jarred version by Crosse & Blackwell that I use. I make the tart size also... think I'll repost them on IG!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’ve not seen the Crosse & Blackwell version but will be keeping a look out for it. I often cheat as well, and it would be nice to have a jar in reserve!

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I really appreciate your comment. Thank you!
Barbara xx