What to Do with the Jar of Mincemeat You Got for Christmas

Posted by Karen Karn December 19, 2017

What to Do with the Jar of Mincemeat You Got for Christmas

Disclaimer: this post has nothing to do with knitting.

Making. Four of the six jars I made.

Ingredients: currants, raisins, dark brown sugar, dried cranberries, white sugar, candied orange peel, fresh apple, hardened vegetable fat (Delfia), spices (cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, nutmeg, ground ginger),
fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh ginger, vodka, brandy, salt

It's traditional to make a batch of little mince pies/tarts, or you can make one large mince pie/tart. (Generally speaking, in English a pie has a lid and a tart is open.)

Use any pastry recipe you like. Find one which uses between 250g - 350g of flour, to ensure you have enough for your pie crust and lid and/or decorations. Here's my pastry recipe.
Make pastry and roll it out and cut out circles to fit your muffin tin or one large circle to fit your pie dish. (If it doesn't want to be rolled out, or becomes crumbly, just press or mash it into the tin, but don't play with the dough too much in the process.)
Fill the pastry cases with mincemeat - which does not contain meat, these days (find out about the origin of mince pies here).
Use as much or as little mincemeat as you like. I prefer a high pastry to mincemeat ratio - about half and half, or two thirds pastry to one third mincemeat.
If you choose to bake one large pie with a lid, cut a few large (decorative) holes into the lid to allow moisture to escape, so the whole thing doesn't get soggy inside.
Add chopped or sliced almonds, if you want.
Add more brandy or any other liqueur... Cointreau would be nice!
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.
Eat warm or allow to cool.
Serve with double cream, whipped cream, custard, ice cream or brandy butter (scroll down for alternative serving suggestions).