Mincemeat pies
Hosting a British-themed holiday dinner called for some very specific British classics and that included mincemeat pies. Dating back several hundred years, it was of course originally made with actual meat. We opted for a more modern rendition of fruit and spices.
Recipe
from Joyofbaking.comMakes 24 mini piesPie pastry1¼ cups all-purpose flour½ tsp salt1 tbsp granulated white sugar½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces3 - 4 tbsp ice cold water1½ cups mincemeatMincemeat (makes about 4 cups)4 tbsp butter1 cup unsweetened apple juice2 large apples, peeled, cored and grated½ cup dark raisins½ cup golden raisins½ cup dried currants½ cup dried cranberries½ cup dried prunes¾ cup candied mix peel½ cup candied red cherrieszest and juice of one lemon⅔ cup packed brown sugar⅓ cup dark or light rum⅓ cup brandy or cognac½ tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp fresh ground nutmeg¼ tsp ground ginger¼ tsp ground cloves¼ tsp saltMincemeat: Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, for about 30 minutes or until the liquid is almost evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer to a covered container and place in refrigerator, at least overnight, before using.Pie pastry: In a food processor, place flour, salt and sugar and process until combined. Add the cold butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle water over the pastry and process until pastry holds together. Turn the dough and gather into a ball. Divide the pastry in half and flatten each half into a disk, wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.Preheat oven to 400 F. Roll out each disk on a lightly floured surface until about ⅛" thick. Using a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the muffin cups in a 24 mini muffin tin. Gently place rounds in into muffin cups and top with heaping teaspoons of mincemeat. Cut out 24 stars or other shapes and gently place atop the mincemeat. Brush tops of the stars with with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the pastry has lightly browned. Cool on wire rack and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold. These tarts freeze well.
Musings
A few notes on preparation: We used apple cider and only 1 grated apple. They took about 9-10 minutes to bake in our oven.David declared them to be extremely delicious! They were adorable and just the right size. The crust was deliciously buttery and flaky. The filling was a delightful combination of savory and sweet. Super tasty. Jolly good, chaps!