Christmas Practice

Anyone fancy a proper mince pie?

Christmas in western European culture (and probably elsewhere too), and certainly in Britain and British-influenced places, is the one time of the year when we still eat, slightly weirdly, almost-authentic medieval foods.

A great example of this is the humble mince pie, which is a meatless descendent of the mediaeval 'great pie', which has not just the familiar fruit and spices but minced beef any any sort of other meat too.

Traditionally, they were made to be eaten on Twelfth Night (6th January), marking the end of the 12-day Christmas festive period. They're definitely too much to eat on Christmas Day if you're also into turkey (bread sauce, turkey's delicious accompaniment, btw is also very authentically mediaeval).

So because I've got far too much time on my hands, I made one to test it out before inflicting it on anyone I want to keep as my friends.

You'll need a lot of shortcrust or hotwater pastry (I used egg-enriched shortcrust because I only had access to gluten free flour, which is wonderful for people with gluten intolerance but rubbish if you're used to the normal kind!), plus:
1 egg white;
8oz of meat (chicken, rabbit, pigeon, ideal) - boiled in salt water for about 10 minutes then thinly sliced when cool;
8oz beef mince
1 tbsp shredded suet
2 hardboiled egg yolks
1tbsp total of ground cinnamon, mace/nutmeg, ground cloves (I used about this but the spice is barely detectable, so this can probably be increased if you like)
1-2oz chopped dates
1-2oz currants
1-2oz chopped prunes
2floz beef stock
1/2tsp rice flour/cornflour.

This will make a pie that will easily feed 6-8 people and rather more if it's one dish among many. Best served cold.

Owing to my pastry shortcomings I lined a 7inch cake tin with most of the pastry leaving enough for a lid.
Mix together the minced beef, suet, salt and pepper to taste, about half the spice mix, and the egg yolks. Add the rest of the spices to the dried fruit in another bowl.
Heat half of the beef stock then add the flour, then the rest of the stock, to make a relatively thick sauce.
Cover the bottom of the pastry with the beef mixture,


then arrange the sliced meat on top, and then the fruit/spice mixture.


You can keep back some of the mince for the very top as well.


When the stock is cool-ish (but not so cool it's all stiff and gloopy), pour over the contents. Then put a lid on it, (if being more authentic/patient than I, spend time on some fun pastry decorations!), brush with the egg white, and then bake for 15 minutes at 220C/425F, then for another 45 minutes at 160C/325F.


It's delicious with mustard, I've discovered. And pictures don't do it justice.


It's easy to keep up traditions that have meaning. But rediscovering lost ones takes real style.

Or that's what I keep telling myself...

PS. Be warned because there's no gelatine in it, the contents can be a bit crumbly so it's best to cut thick slices and then divide those up further if needed!