It just ain’t an English Christmas without mince pies. And these mince pies are really, really, easy. Why? How? Well, because these mince pies are made with store bought pastry and a jar of store bought mincemeat.
To be fair, I don’t think I have ever made my own mincemeat, but I generally do make my own pastry. However, I recently discovered that Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust is delicious — which is a huge compliment coming from someone who is not, as a rule, a huge pastry fan. With sweet desserts I will generally make a sweetened pastry crust which leans a tiny bit into shortbread, but Trader Joe’s has managed to create a full butter, crumbly, short pastry which is an excellent substitute for homemade. And at Christmas, anything, I mean anything, that allows you to take a short cut, is a monstrous win in my opinion.
And what makes it even better is that you can roll it out between the plastic sheets it is sandwiched between, which means no sticking to the counter top or rolling pin – no matter how much flour you use. The only downside is that when you unroll it, the circle of pastry will crack and break apart. Do not, I repeat, do not despair. Be sure that the pastry is at room temperature (not cold), unroll gently and press the pastry back together where it has broken. When it is completely flat, gently roll over it (between the two layers of plastic) with a rolling pin and it will slowly fuse back together and be as good as new. Promise!
Meanwhile, the mincemeat gets glammed up a wee bit. I put in a bowl and add in a variety of things: grated lemon and orange zest, a squeeze of orange juice, a squeeze of lemon juice and a touch of alcohol. OK, maybe more than a touch. What alcohol you use is entirely up to you and might depend on what you have on hand. This year I used sherry, brandy and grand marnier. Rum is excellent but I was out. Any orange liqueur works (I particularly like to include an orange liqueur) as does amaretto, port and even beer. I just drizzle in a glug of this and a glug of that, give it a good stir and let it sit at room temperature overnight. The fruit will absorb the liquid turning the currants and raisins into little alcohol bombs. Delicious!
I roll the pastry out a hair, just to get it a tiny bit thinner than it comes and use a 3″ cookie cutter for the bottom of the mince pie which I put in a muffin tin. Put in a teaspoon or so of mincemeat and top with a 2″ round of pastry or a star, as in the photographs. There is no set way of doing this — you could make one big pie or some miniature ones, or a combination as I did. Brush a little bit of egg white on the top pastry (or milk/cream) sprinkle with some sugar and bake in a 350˚F oven for about thirty minutes, until a nice golden brown.
Try not to overdo the mincemeat filling as it has a tendency to overflow and then act like glue once the pies have cooled, (and you should let them cool) making it very difficult to get them out of the pans. Although, to be honest, even after buttering the pan well and being careful, I still have a hard time getting the mince pies out cleanly. Could be that my pans are really, really old and have just had it.
For years I would make either a rum or brandy butter (a traditional way to eat mince pies), but many years ago a friend served them with freshly whipped, just slightly sweetened cream (organic, it really does taste better) and this is how I’ve eaten them ever since – the light, fresh taste of the cream helps to cut the richness of the pie. Enjoy with a glass of sherry. Happy Christmas!
