Searching for the best mince pie recipe

[Cyclingrelf]

There are some pretty good ready-made mince pies out there these days, so has anyone got a recipe that makes it really worthwhile making your own?

I've been experimenting with very short (buttery) pastry flavoured with sugar and orange zest, which is pretty good. Haven't made my own mincemeat though. Has anyone tried the stuff with real mince in it?

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

 

[Robson Valley]

Please tell me more about the pastry formula. This is something I'd like to try.
Now, by "mince," may I presume you mean a very fine dice of apple with raisin and orange
and heavily spiced with such as cinnamon?

Using meat (beef, etc) for "mince" I have never eaten a mince pie that I liked.

 

[Janne]

I have baked mincepies, both meat and fruit. To be frank, a good commercial one is basically just as good.
As my attempt anyway!

On traditional, old fashioned British mince pies, the spices I did not like. Nor the mix fruit and meat. Weird combo my palate told me!
The second time I did a more ‘normal’ meat pie. By normal I mean the French (Canadian?) Tourtiere.

 

[Toddy]

You're maybe a little late to be making your own mincemeat; mine was made months ago, and has been steeping in brandy since
Still worth giving it a go though.

Yes, it's worth while making your own. Add spices, add orange oil and ground cloves if you like, add good chopped fruits, from sultanas to glacé cherries, shredded apple is a good admixture too.
Vege suet works fine, but is rather bland. If you skip it out and simply grate in frozen butter and stir it through just before you use the mincemeat, it's very good indeed

If one uses real mince, use good mince, don't use shoulder steak, use rump, and if the butcher adds in a good bit of the marbling them skip the suet. Generally the spice for meaty mincemeat here is Alspice/Jamaican pepper. It works very well mixed with the fruit and meat.

I'm kind of in the notion to bake, and it's half past nine at night here. I'm tempted to make ginger bread (fruit loaf, not the wee men) with some of the extra mincemeat. Might do that tomorrow.

I fancy your idea for the shortcrust pastry with orange zest too though

M

 

[Robson Valley]

So
Mince meat Type A is apple, other fruits, spices and brandy? We make mostly small tart pastries with this.

Mince meat Type B is ground up animal meat with spices? Some make pies which I won't eat.

A bison steak, fork tender, is a decent meal.

 

[Janne]

Type B, l’ancienne, is minced meat, dried exotic fruits like raisins, candied citrus peel, dates, figs.
The spices are cinnamon, cloves, stuff like that.

In the medieval times they showed wealth by mixing exotic, foreign fruits with exotic, foreign spices snd added meat.

Tastes weird, to say the least.

I think the closest and easiest way to replicate it is to take two Makkedonaldo patties and put one modern Mince Pie inbetween.

 

[Janne]

Cyclingrelf, why do you spice up the pastry?

The filling is tasty plenty enough?

 

[Janne]

Mum was a amateur food historian, working on a hobby basis with real historians, so trust me, I have eaten some weird stuff.

First time I tasted a modern British Mince Pie I thought it was concocted by her....

 

[Cyclingrelf]

I spiced up the pastry to try and make something different, if not nicer, than the shop bought mince pies.

The buttery pastry I made was proportions like this recipe: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1813664/mince-pies?amp but with added zest of orange.

We've decided it was a little too crumbly, but the orange was a hit and made the kitchen smell lovely

I think I might enjoy the meaty mince pies, as I like most fruit/meat stuff. Pork n apple sauce, lamb and redcurrant jelly and so forth. I'll maybe give that a go next

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

 

[Toddy]

Thank you I'll give it a go, and see if it works GF too.

If you have a roast, and the crumbly gravy rich bits are still in the dish, then stir through the fruits and spices and heat it all up a little to mix. Set it aside for a couple of hours and then try that.
I don't eat meat, but it was a success with those who do Saves having to cook mince.

M

 

[Cyclingrelf]

Thank you I'll give it a go, and see if it works GF too.

If you have a roast, and the crumbly gravy rich bits are still in the dish, then stir through the fruits and spices and heat it all up a little to mix. Set it aside for a couple of hours and then try that.
I don't eat meat, but it was a success with those who do Saves having to cook mince.

M

Thanks Toddy, sounds good to me

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

 

[Toddy]

I like bushcrafters they don't look on leftovers as something blah, they look on them as potential

 

[Janne]

You can create somehing even better with them!

 

[crosslandkelly]

My favourite mince pie recipe. Can't be beat, IMHO.

http://www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/savoury-mince-pies

 

[Tony]

I think I should direct Shelly to this thread, she loves mince pies, I on the other hand....