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Food

Mince Pies

The Puritans hated mince pie. Too bad, because these are damn easy to make and damn good, too.
Mince Pies Recipe
Photo via Flickr user Paul Ingles

"Don't buy your pies—make them yourself. It ain't that hard."

Ingredients

For the crust 1 sheet puff pastry (preferably homemade, but get the best quality if you buy it)

egg wash (4:1 ratio of eggs to cream, whisked well)

icing sugar, to finish

For the filling 800 g mincemeat

1 Cox apple, peeled and diced

2 clementines, zested, segmented, and roughly chopped

100 g toasted almonds, chopped

100 g roasted chestnuts, peeled and chopped

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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180º C (350º F).

2. Roll out the puff pastry 3 mm (1/10th of an inch) thick and leave to chill for several hours. Using a small muffin baking tray as the guide, cut the pastry into appropriate discs for the bases and lids of the mince pies to-be. Place the pastry bases of the pies in the bottom of each muffin mould. Refrigerate until needed.

3. To finish the mincemeat, mix together all the filling ingredients and check for taste. Take a generous tablespoon of mincemeat and place in the centre of the muffin mould. if it allows for more mincemeat, add some more. A bit of leakage around the edge of the lid is not a bad thing.

4. Using a pastry brush, paint the underside edges of the pastry lid with egg wash and top each pie with their respective lids, being sure a tight seal is made on each one. Egg wash the lid, and return the pies to the fridge for 45 mins to rest. Add another egg wash and once again return to the fridge for a further 45 mins. These egg washes will produce a lovely deep lacquered finish. Finally, egg wash for a third time then cook for 20 minutes, until the pies are a deep golden colour and nicely puffed. When ready, remove from the oven, and leave to cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar.

From Screw the Puritans and Eat More Mince Pies