Mince Pies
All the way from the fanciest tables in London down to the simplest of family dinner parties in small towns no English Christmas is ever complete without a generous serving of mince pies. But what makes the small pastries so special, and why are they such an essential part of the holiday tradition?
Mince pies have been around since the middle ages: back then the “mincemeat” filling really did consist of chopped meat, mixed with dried fruit and other sweet ingredients. Gradually, the meat disappeared from the filling and only suet (animal fat) and the chopped fruit remained. Mince pie became customary Christmas food somewhere in the sixteenth century.
Mince pies come with their own legends and myths: one of them states that when cooking the filling, the mix of fruit, suet and spices can only be stirred clockwise – stirring it the other way around is said to bring bad luck to the cook for the next year. If you do it right, you are allowed to make a wish. This superstition has somewhat been forgotten, but most people do observe the rule that at least one mince pie a day should be eaten during the twelve days before Christmas, and that you can make a wish while eating your first one. In the old days mince pies were also supposed to be eaten in complete silence, but that tradition has vanished too – not much chance for peace and quiet at office parties…
The Perfect Mince Pie
Contrary to mulled wine and Christmas cake, most people use pretty much the same recipe for their mince pies. Here it is:Ingredients:
- 8 oz of softened butter,
- 1 lb of plain flour,
- 2 oz of icing sugar,
- 2 egg yolks,
- 1 egg,
- 1 lb of mincemeat (with or without nutmeg, cinnamon… depending on your taste.
- You can also stir in 2 oz of brandy, although this is of course entirely optional – but very tasty).
- Cut the butter into little cubes.
- Put the flour into a big bowl, and add the butter cubes.
- Now rub the butter into the flour until you get little crumbs of flour/butter mix.
- Add the icing sugar, and stir in.
- Add the two egg yolks and 4 tablespoons of really cold water.
- Knead the dough until it is soft and smooth, and allow to chill for half an hour while you preheat the oven to 200° Celsius.
- Sprinkle flour on your kitchen table top and spread out two thirds of the dough on it.
- Cut out 30 rounds (use a special cutter) with a diameter of about 2 ½ inches.
- Put them into bun tins, and fill them up with the mincemeat.
- Gather the rest of the dough, spread it out and cut out another 30 rounds, this time with a diameter of 2 inches.
- Slightly dampen the edges of the circles, put them on top of the pies and seal the edges.
- Beat the remaining egg, and use it to brush the tops of the mince pies.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot (or cold – they’re delicious both ways).
- Bon appétit!
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