Mince pies are a Christmas treat that you really shouldn't miss out on.

 Christmas is almost with us and here in the UK one of the traditional treats that most people tuck into is the much loved mince pie. Not made with mince meat but with a delicious mix of dried and fresh fruit. The fresh fruit comes in the form of apples and lemons while the dried comes from currants, raisins, sultanas etc. All will be revealed in the recipe. I use Delia Smith's recipe for my mince meat but I do make a couple of tweaks. I don't like mince meat to be too sweet so I up the lemon juice to give it a sharper edge. I also peel the apples. Who wants to eat thought apple skins. Not me for sure. 

Pop over to Delia's page for the recipe and the method.

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-happy-christmas/home-made-christmas-mincemeat

You will need to start by making your mince meat. you can do this well in advance or, if you are short of time, buy a large jar. 

The pastry used for these pies is usually shortcrust but I prefer a richer crumbly pastry so I make a pasta frolla, which is an Italian version of pat sucre. It really is yummy so please give it a go.

Ingredients for Pasta Frolla 

200g plain flour. If you can get ‘00’ flour this is the best. 

120g butter I used salted. If you use unsalted you will need to add a big pinch of salt.

90g sugar The finer the sugar, the crispier the pastry.

2 egg yolks

Grated rind of half a lemon or a teaspoon of vanilla essence.

Start by creaming the butter, lemon rind and the sugar.

When you have creamed the mixture for about 5 minutes, beat in the egg. 

Mix in the flour until the mixture comes together and forms a soft dough. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes. The butter will firm up and make it easier to roll out the pastry.

Working with about a third of the dough at a time cut out rounds that will fit your pie tin. Remember to keep enough pastry back to cut out the lids.

Fill each pie with mince meat and top with a lid. brush with milk and cook at approx 180C until a golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool a little before removing from the tin. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy warm with the breath of the oven still on them.