A Christmas Classic, Mince Pies episode 2.10

There is nothing quite like the smell of mince pies baking. They make the whole house smell like Christmas. They are also simple to make.
The trick to a good mince pie is getting the ratio of pastry to filling just right. To do this you need to use a shallow pie tin or patty cake tin.

History of the mince pie.
The ingredients of the mince pies can be traced back to the return of the crusaders from the Holy Land. This was a combination of meats, fruits and spices. In Tudor England, the pies were made from shredded meat, suet and dried fruits. Commonly spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg were added. Then, pies were larger than those served today, and usually oblong in shape.

In a recipe dating back from 1615, it is recommended to take a leg of mutton, and cutting the best bits off the bone, add mutton suet, pepper, salt, cloves, mace, currants, raisons, prunes, dates and orange peel.( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mince_pie) During the English civil war, the humble "Christmas Pie" was banned due to its ties with Catholicism. By the time of the Victorian era, the addition of meat to the pie had largely vanished, although suet was still used in both the filling and pastry.


There is lots to debate about the mince filling.
For many, the preparation of the filling starts months earlier, with the dried fruits and spices combined with alcohol and steeped in a dark place to develop the flavours. These make a rich and somewhat heavy pie.
My personal preference is a lighter combination of fruits and citrus zest. My recipe contains no alcohol. The fruit mince can be stored in the fridge for several weeks.

For all the finer details on putting these delicious pies together, check out my YouTube video at the end of this post,

Here is my recipe:

Mince Pies

Makes 12

• 1 quantity of shortcrust pastry
• 2 cups mixed dried fruit
• 1 green apple peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 50 g butter, melted
• 2 tbl golden syrup
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Zest from 1 orange
• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 160°C fan/180°C

Grease a 12 hole shallow baking tin.
Roll out pastry to 5 mm thick (or use frozen pastry sheets).
Cut out 12 x 10 cm rounds and ease into tin.
Prick the base with a fork to prevent rising.
Cook 10-12 minutes until golden. Allow to cool.

Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 5-6 minutes until thick.

Allow to cool completely.

Fill each pastry shell with mince. Use left over pastry to make lattice.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp.

Store in an airtight container.

edited march 2023