mince pie recipe – bit late!

I know, I know, this is slightly late!!! However, here is the mince pies recipe, including my pastry recipe.

So firstly, here is my pastry recipe!

1lb plain flour
4oz Trex (which I think is a type of Shortening )
4oz Hard Margarine
1 egg yolk
2 fl.oz cold water
2oz caster sugar for sweet pastry

Mix flour and chopped fat together until into breadcrumb sized pieces, you can do this either in a food mixer, or by rubbing in by hand.

Add in sugar if required at this point

Add in egg yolk and mix a little, add water slowly, a little at a time until pastry becomes a whole piece. In my opinion it is better to be a little too moist rather than dry, as you will be using flour when you roll it out, and I find it harder to make it more moist while rolling it.

When you are happy with the consistency of the pastry, wrap in greaseproof paper, then wrap in foil or clingfilm to keep airtight.

Place in fridge, until you need it, it will last for at least 2 or 3 days in the fridge. Always allow the pastry to warm through slightly before you use it, so take out from the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before you need to use it.

This amount of pastry makes 36 mince pies in my tins 🙂

Ok, onto the making of the mince pies, very easy, and if you have ‘nice’ children they should be able to help!

If you have you pastry and mincemeat ready, lets go!

I’m not going to suggest tins, because everyone has different tins, but the ones I use, are the ones we make fairy cakes, and yorkshire pudding in, and I’m sure you will have something similar, if they look bigger or smaller or deeper, then just adjust the cutters you use, and the time it takes to cook the pies.
I also don’t want to make it sound like I’m being patronising, please let me know if I do!

So to make mine I use;

a rolling pin, with flour to dust
3 x 12 hole tins
a palette knife
normal knife
2 x fluted cutters (7cm and 8.5cm across)

I normally cut my pastry into about 6 chunks, and then roll it out, as it is more managable to deal with.
I also cut all the bottoms out first, as these need to be nice and unbroken, and the more you roll previously rolled pieces the more likely you are to add up with cracks that will break upon cooking and leak!

So all my bottoms are cut, then I do the same with all my lids!

Then the easy bit, filling each one up, I use about a teaspoon full per pie.

Then to add the lids, I use a mixture of an egg and some milk as my glue/wash for pastry, and because I’m lazy, I just coat the whole of the inside of the lid rather than just the edge, it is quicker!

Then once all the lids are on, you need to wash across the top of each with the egg milk mixture, then sprinkle sugar, and I stab two little holes in each lid to make sure I don’t have any lids blow off during cooking! If you are using a star shaped lid cutter you won’t need to do this, as the gaps will all ready be there for steam and juice to escape.

Now into the oven at 200 C for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. I normally turn mine and move them about in the oven so I get even cooking, but of course that depends on your oven! So you will be the best judge of that!

So here we are cooked! I leave them for a few minutes and then they go onto the rack to cool, if they get half a chance!

Sorry this is so late, you can use it for New Year! or even next year! Enjoy!!