Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus chilling time
Servings: 8 to 10
Note: This pastry dough is wonderfully pliable and easy to work, made by the French method of kneading on the countertop. For the filling you’ll need seedless grapes and tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, that hold their shape during cooking. To appreciate the full flavor of fruit and spice, serve the pie hot or at room temperature, topped with a scoop of your favorite ice cream -- butter pecan or vanilla for me. Traditional mincemeat is spiked with hard liquor; here I suggest bourbon, but orange juice is fine too, and child-friendly.
Light cream pastry dough
3 cups flour, plus extra for rolling
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup heavy cream, more if needed
1. Sift the flour into a mound on a work surface and make a wide well in the center. Pound the butter with a rolling pin to soften it. Add the butter to the well with the salt, egg yolk and cream. Work these ingredients with the fingertips of one hand until thoroughly mixed. Using a pastry scraper or metal spatula, draw in flour from the sides and work the dough with the fingers of both hands until coarse crumbs form; they should be soft but not sticky. If they seem dry, sprinkle with an additional tablespoon of cream and continue working to form a rough dough. Press the dough together to form 2 balls, one twice as large as the other.
2. On a lightly floured surface, quickly knead the dough. Take a ball of dough and push it away from you with the palm of your hand, flattening it on the work surface. Gather up the dough, and repeat the action two or three times -- this distributes butter in the flour so dough becomes smooth and pliable. Shape it into a ball and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Pie filling and assembly
2 tart apples
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 cups (about 1/2 pound) seedless green or red grapes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped candied orange peel
1/2 cup walnut pieces
3/4 cup dark raisins
3/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon, or orange juice
2 tablespoons melted butter (for brushing)
11- to 12-inch tart pan with removable base
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Core, halve and dice the unpeeled apples into one-fourth-inch pieces. Toss the apples into a bowl with lemon zest and juice. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Add the grapes, candied orange peel, walnuts and dark and golden raisins and stir until the fruits are evenly mixed. Stir in the brown sugar, then the bourbon or orange juice.
2. Brush the tart pan with melted butter. Sprinkle your countertop with flour and roll the large ball of pastry dough to a 13- to 14-inch round. Line the tart pan with the dough, leaving about 1-inch overlap of dough at the rim. Spoon the mincemeat filling into the shell and gently flatten the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Roll out remaining dough to fit the top of the pie, with about 1-inch overhang, and lift it onto the pie with the rolling pin to cover the mincemeat. Trim the edges of the dough with scissors and pinch with your fingertips to seal and make a fluted edge.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and salt to form a wash. Brush the surface of the pie with wash. With the tip of a knife, slash the dough in a decorative pattern so steam can escape. If you like, decorate the top with leaves made from dough trimmings, brushing them with glaze. Chill the pie thoroughly 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees, and put a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to heat. Brush the chilled pie again with glaze. Set the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake until browned and the pie starts shrinking from the side of the pan, 40 to 50 minutes. A skewer inserted in pie center should be very hot to the touch when withdrawn. (The pie can be baked a day ahead; wrap it tightly in foil and refrigerate.)
5. To reheat, place the pie in a 300-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then unmold onto a platter.
Each of 10 servings: 573 calories; 7 grams protein; 76 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 27 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 106 mg. cholesterol; 323 mg. sodium.
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FAQs
The reason mincemeat is called meat is because that's exactly what it used to be: most often mutton, but also beef, rabbit, pork or game. Mince pies were first served in the early middle ages, and the pies were quite sizeable, filled with a mixture of finely minced meat, chopped up fruit and a preserving liquid.
Why should you stir mincemeat clockwise when making mince pies? ›
Even today there are traditions associated with mince pies. When making the mincemeat mixture for the pies, for good luck it should be stirred in a clockwise direction. You should always make a wish when eating the first mince pie of the season and you should never cut one with a knife.
What is the difference between mince pie and mincemeat pie? ›
A mince pie (also mincemeat pie in North America, and fruit mince pie in Australia and New Zealand) is a sweet pie of English origin filled with mincemeat, being a mixture of fruit, spices and suet. The pies are traditionally served during the Christmas season in much of the English-speaking world.
Is none such mincemeat discontinued? ›
Unfortunately the company who bought it has decided to discontinue! Get it while you can-the cookie recipe is on the box and they're awesome. Sadly you cannot replicate the cookies properly using the jarred minced meat/they do NOT come out well. Pricey but worth it!
What is a substitute for suet in mincemeat? ›
If you can't find suet or you just don't want to use it, try shortening instead. One of the advantages of using vegetable shortening is that it is suitable for vegetarian dishes.
Why do people eat mincemeat pie at Christmas? ›
In the 16th and 17th centuries, mincemeat pie went beyond just a holiday treat and also offered significant symbolism. Around Christmas, it was popular to bake an elaborate pie that had dough resembling baby Jesus and included spices and sweetmeats as representatives of the gifts from the visiting Magi.
Why can't you eat mince pies on Christmas Day? ›
It has been claimed that eating the snack is illegal in England if done so on Christmas Day. The tradition comes from the time of Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s, when mince pies were banned at Christmas, along with other tasty treats. Cromwell wanted to tackle gluttony in England.
Why do my mince pies always leak? ›
Fill each pie level with mincemeat, don't overfill as the pies have a tendency to leak and glue themselves to the tins if you do. Dip your finger in the egg and run around the edge of each mince pie and top with a lid, pressing gently together to seal.
Why do they call it mincemeat? ›
Mincemeat is a combination of chopped dried fruits, spices, sugar, nuts, distilled spirits, a fat of some type and sometimes meat. The name is a carryover from 15th century England when mincemeat did indeed have meat in the mix; in fact, the whole point of mincemeat was to preserve meat with sugar and alcohol.
What do Americans call mincemeat? ›
In American English, "mincemeat" is a sweet pie filling (I think it's mince pie in BrE) which originally contained some meat but in modern times it is generally made mostly of apples and raisins. It's not very popular anymore, but you sometimes see it around Christmas time.
Mince pies = eyes
This is a term used widely in London even to this day, usually to describe a girl's features. Her eyes would be described as Minces, an even more slang term from the original mince pies.
What are the ingredients in Robertson's mincemeat? ›
Sugar, Apples (26%), Vine Fruit (26%) (Sultanas, Raisins, Currants with Glazing Agent (Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil)), Candied Mixed Peel (4%) (Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Orange Peel, Sugar, Lemon Peel, Citric Acid), Vegetable Suet (Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, Rice Flour), Treacle, Acetic Acid, Mixed Spices (0.3%) (Cinnamon, ...
Why is mincemeat pie filling so expensive? ›
Mincemeat isn't difficult to make, but it has a lot of ingredients, which can make it expensive to produce in small batches, and it requires at least a day's advance planning to let the ingredients sit.
When did they stop putting meat in mincemeat? ›
20th century. By the mid-twentieth century, most mincemeat recipes did not include meat, but might include animal fat in the form of suet or butter, or alternatively solid vegetable fats, making it vegan.
What odd ingredient did mince pies once contain? ›
Markham's recipe called for an entire leg of mutton and three pounds of suet which were mixed with salt, cloves, mace, currants, raisins, prunes, dates, and orange peel, a list of ingredients that, save for the meat, which is remarkably like that used today.
What were Victorian mince pies made from? ›
Ingredients included dried fruits like raisins prunes and figs, lamb or mutton (representing the shepherds) and spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (for the Wise Men). By late Victorian England, mince pies ceased to contain meat and had all fruit fillings (with suet). This sweetmeat pie is one we eat today.
What were mince pies originally made to symbolize? ›
The original mince pies were oblong crib shapes decorated with a baby Jesus on top. The contents represent the gifts of the Magi to the Christ child, spices and plump middle eastern fruits.
Did mince pies used to be coffin shaped? ›
TAKE ONE COFFIN…
Our mince pies undoubtedly have medieval origins, although we would not immediately recognise them. Pie crusts were known as coffins, and used as a vessel to cook delicate foods or house pre-boiled meat fillings. Pastry was little more than flour mixed with water to form a mouldable dough.
