How to make mince pies:
A mince pie is a festive sweet pastry traditionally
consumed during the Christmas and New Year
period. In Great Britain, and other countries, such
as Ireland, mince pies are seen as a favourite
food of Father Christmas. Children leave one
or two mince pies on a plate at the foot of the
chimney (along with a small glass of brandy,
sherry or milk, and a carrot for the reindeer)
as a thank you for filling their stockings with
presents.
Mince pies are filled with mincemeat - a preserve
typically containing apple, dried fruits such as
sultanas, spices, and suet (beef or mutton fat),
hence the name mincemeat.
To make mince pies you need a ‘patty tin’ which
is a baking tray divided into small round shallow
compartments.
DIC 09
Basic recipe
1 Preheat oven to 200C. Roll out the prepared pastry on a lightly floured surface to
about 3mm. Cut out 18 round shapes with a cutter and roll out again if necessary to
cut out 18 lids (smaller round shapes). Line the patty tins with the larger rounds.
2 Fill the pastry to about half their depth with mincemeat taking care not to overfill.
Dampen the edges with a little water and cover with the pastry lids. Seal the
edges well.
3 Brush the tops with water and roll in sugar. Make two small cuts in the top of each pie.
Bake for 15-minutes or until golden brown.
4 Remove the tins and leave to cool and then sprinkle with a little more sugar.
How to make the pastry
Ingredients
4oz plain flour
pinch of salt
2oz butter, in cubes
2-3 large spoons cold water
Method
1 Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter.
2 Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that
resembles breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining. Try to work quickly
so that they don’t stick together.
3 Using a knife, stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together.
4 Wrap the dough in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before using.
How to make the mincemeat
Ingredients
450g apples - peeled, cored and grated
450g seedless raisins / 350g sultanas
110g chopped dried prunes
50g chopped almonds
350g soft brown sugar
225g shredded suet
grated rind and juice of 2 oranges and 2 lemons
15g mixed spice
5g freshly grated nutmeg
150ml brandy (optional – not for children)
Method
1 Mix all the ingredients together, except half the brandy in a large ovenproof bowl and
cover and leave to stand overnight.
2 The next day, preheat the oven to 110C/225F/Gas, cover the bowl with foil and place
in the oven for about 3 hours.
3 Allow to cool, then mix in the rest of the brandy and put into sterilised jars.
Note: If possible, this mincemeat needs to mature for at least two weeks before using.
Once sealed, it can keep for at least a year.
QUESTIONS
1. Say if these sentences are True or False. Underline the part of the text
which gives you the answer.
1 A mince pie is savoury, made from meat.
2 Mince pies are mainly eaten in English speaking countries.
3 Father Christmas traditionally gives mince pies to his reindeer.
4 Traditional mince pies are suitable for vegetarians, as they have no meat.
5 Water is used to stick the lids to the pies.
6 You need to use quite a lot of salt to make the pastry.
7 The pastry need to be cooled before it is used.
8 The main ingredient of mincemeat is fruit.
9 It takes several hours to make the mincemeat.
10 It’s best to make the mincemeat a few weeks before using it.
2. Vocabulary
Categories. Fill the table with the special words in the recipe.
Foods (e.g. pie)
Verbs for cooking: (e.g. preheat)
Kitchen items (e.g. plate)
Answer KEY
1.
1 False: typically containing apple, dried fruits such as sultanas, spices, and suet.
2 True: during the Christmas and New Year period.
3 False: a carrot for the reindeer.
4 False: and suet (beef or mutton fat) [Beef and mutton are not suitable for
vegetarians].
5 True: Dampen the edges with a little water and cover with the pastry lids.
6 False: pinch of salt.
7 True: put in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before using.
8 True: [see ingredient list].
9 True: leave to stand overnight.
10 True: mincemeat needs to mature for at least two weeks.
FOODS: pastry
preserve
brandy
sherry
milk
carrot
apple (s)
dried fruits
sultanas
spices
suet
sugar
flour
salt
water
breadcrumbs
dough
raisins
prunes
almonds
sugar
oranges
lemons
spice
nutmeg
brandy
verbs for cooking:
roll
cut
line
fill
dampen
seal
brush
make…cuts
bake
leave to
cool
sprinkle
peel
core
grate
add
rub
stick
stir in
bind
wrap
mix
cover
leave to
stand
cover
Kitchen items:
glass
patty tin
baking tray
oven
cutter
spoon (s)
bowl
knife
clingfilm
fridge
foil
jar (s)
