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Mince Pies
Not really a cookie, but almost, an the greatest British contribution to Christmas cuisine!
* 12 oz/350g all purpose/plain flour
* Pinch of salt
* 8oz/ 225g butter, cubed or an equal mix of butter and lard
* 1 beaten egg + 1 cold water as needed
* 1 jar of mincemeat
* 2 tbsp icing sugar
Heat the oven to 400°F/205°C/Gas 6
Make the Pastry
* Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean bowl.
* Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough becoming warm.
* Add the egg to the mixture and using a cold knife stir, add cold water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture binds but don't make it too wet that it is sticky.
* Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
The dough can also be made in a food processor by mixing the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of the processor on a pulse setting. When the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add the egg a slowly, through the funnel until the dough, then add water a tsp at a time until the dough comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill as above.
Assemble the Pies
* Choose a muffin or bun tin for the size of the pie you want. Choose from a standard 12-cup muffin tin down to small canapé size. The number of pies will depend on the size of cup you choose.
* Dust a work surface lightly with a little flour and roll out two-thirds of the pastry to 1/8"/3mm thick. Cut circles to line the cups of your tin, don't worry if the pastry doesn't come to the top.
* Fill the pastry lined tins 2/3 full with mincemeat.
* Roll out the remaining pastry to the same thickness and cut smaller circles to fit as lids on the tarts or to be decorative, cut stars or other fancy shapes.
* Dampen the edges of the tart bases with a little cold water and press the lids on. Make a small hole in the surface of each pie with a small sharp knife to allow the steam to escape (you can omit this if using star-shaped lids).
* Bake in the preheated oven for 20 mins (15 mins if making canape size) or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the icing sugar.
You can eat them warm or cold, on their own or with brandy butter or clotted cream, (or both!).
In truth most people buy ready made mincemeat these days, but it is possible to make it.
Mincemeat Ingredients:
* 6oz/175g raisins
* 4 oz/ 110g sultanas
* 10 oz/ 275g currants
* 4 oz/110g candied, mixed peel, finely chopped
* 6 oz/175g shredded suet (beef or vegetarian)
* ½ lb/ 250g soft, dark brown sugar
* ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
* 2 tsp mixed spice
* grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
* grated zest and juice of 1 orange
* 1 Bramley or cooking apple, cored and finely chopped, no need to peel
* 4 tbsp brandy
* In a large roomy baking bowl combine all the ingredients except the brandy. Stir really well making sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave overnight.
* Next day, heat the oven to 225°F/110°C/¼ gas. Remove the tea towel and cover the bowl with foil and place in the warmed oven for 2½ hours. The suet will have melted but don't worry, this is how it should be as the fat is what will help to preserve the mincemeat. Stir well and leave to one side to cool, stirring from time to time.
* Once cool stir the mincemeat again, add the brandy and stir again.
* Fill sterilised jars with the cold mincemeat, cover with a wax disc and a lid. The mincemeat will keep up to one year in a cool, dark place.
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