December 25th, 2015 dawned much as every summer day does, but two things were different. First, it was Christmas day, so there was no alarm clock, and there was a great deal to do. Some of it, including the baking of Christmas mince pies and shortbread, should have happened on Christmas Eve.
Secondly, Pearli had suddenly grown up; she seemed to have become quite sedate; hunting less and not getting into so much trouble, spending much of her day curled up, asleep – like a proper cat.
Or so we thought.
As we were having our morning tea before facing the day, a thundercat hurtled up the stairs. It definitely wasn’t Melon. It had to be Pearli. The “footprints” told us so. Sure enough, Pearli presented us with a Christmas present – the first catch for a very long time (as far as we are aware) – a real, live mouse. Needless to say, having to deal with that levitated us into the final Christmas dinner preparations.
Most of this is a doddle: same procedure as last every year for Fred and the shortbread, sans the rosemary this time.
Finally, the mince pies.
Mince pies
For the uninitiated, these are sweet tarts with a spiced fruit mince that is made from, predominantly raisins, currents and fruit peel. They are traditional Christmas confectionary and the chain stores are filled with them. Talk radio stations have phone-in shows and debate which store’s is better. Seriously.
The first effort and was more than thirty years ago. I was living in Johannesburg and had nowhere to go, and had been invited by a lovely family to join them for Christmas lunch. Not one to go empty handed, I offered to bring the mince pies.
Clearly my penchant for eschewing the store-bought is ingrained because I decided to make them. It didn’t enter my head to do a practice run. Anyhow, in making this decision, I also decided that I would not use my mother’s pastry recipe: her pastry was made with lard and I always thought that it was too thick. Particularly for dainty mince pies. For the life of me, I cannot recall what pastry recipe I used (It may have been a hot water one), but I do recall that I rolled it very thin and I ended up making what became known as the “Million Mince Pies”. Notwithstanding the fact that they were eaten and enjoyed, for the following year or so, I was enjoined to limit the number! Too much of a good thing, and all that jazz….
So, although there are recipes for fruit mince, it is something I do not make. Why? Well, some of it has to do with getting my act together and getting things done ahead of time, and when it comes to Christmas, I’m not very good at that. The planning starts on 15 December, if I’m lucky, but usually nearer 18th or 20th and the mince needs to be made at least two weeks in advance. Anyway, from a jar, it’s more than acceptable and I can “doctor” it to make it my “own”, without breaking the bank. More importantly, the individual ingredients are jolly (!) expensive and it would be false economy to make it.
Or so I thought: Mr Mac, one of the village foodies, a former Michelin-rated restaurant owner and hotelier (in Scotland) and a Scot, has just lent me a fabulous recipe book, written by a friend of his. It contains a great mincemeat recipe. I am now resolved to make fruit mince this winter, in preparation for next Christmas, as well as some other fabulous Sweet Things….
Back to the mince pies: unlike when I make quiche for supper, or to order, at Christmas, I make pastry.
I have no idea where I got this recipe, but reading it, it must have been part of a promotion in a magazine, and for a particular brand of flour.
The first time I used this recipe, it was not for Christmas, but for a lunch party, part of which involved my “creating” recipes for friend’s aloe-based food range.
The jam tart was a hit, particularly the pastry. When Christmas came along that year, I decided to use the recipe for the mince pies, but instead of making one large tart, I decided to do individual ones as well. That was about six years ago, and I still do it. 
Tips, not in the recipe, or in my handwritten notes:
- butter (I never use margarine*); the oil is canola
- use a food processor and if you have one that has different sized bowls, use the medium sized one
- instead of rolling the pastry for the individual pies, break off and press bits of the pastry into the baking tin (a shallow muffin tin); I do this for the larger tart, too. This pastry, because of the quantity of fat/oil, is difficult to work with, especially in our summer heat, so “finger pressing” is easier than rolling and much less frustrating….
- put the pastry that is reserved for the “lids” into the deep freeze while you’re lining the pie dish or pan. This will make it easier to grate and work with when you’re ready
As I mentioned, I use store-bought fruit mince, and to this, I have added the apple suggested in this recipe, but I’ve also left it out: it wasn’t missed. What I always add is brandy – a good glug – and probably more than the 25ml the recipe talks about. I used to add a sprinkling of granulated sugar, but I’ve stopped doing that – it makes little if any difference.
A White Christmas
So, mince pies and shortbread done, it was time to “dress” the table. This year, it was a “white” Christmas with touches of red, including in the starter**, and the closest we get to a white Christmas in Africa (and, I gather, in most of the world, this year).
The meal concluded with the usual shortbread and mince pies. One of our guests, amazed that I make my own, declared that the mince pies were better than those from one of the premium stores. It has to be the pastry!
And about that mouse –
We have no idea what happened to Pearli’s gift: by the time we had propelled ourselves out of the bedroom, both Pearli and mouse had disappeared.
*of course if, for dietary reasons, you can’t use dairy, margarine is more than acceptable
**those salad days are still to come…
© Fiona’s Favourites 2016
Your table looks lovely. Grated pastry? Never heard of that. I think my mum just used a basic sweet shortcrust. Can’t remember. Enjoyed them when I was young but as I grew up … hers were certainly better than bought ones. Haven’t had one for years though. She did make her own mixture for a few years but I was tiny then. She was still baking them throughout the year for my dad though before he died. Don’t think I’ve ever made one!
Thank you! The grated pastry is the same as one would do for an apple crumble, actually. I hadn’t heard of grating it until this recipe, either!
Mince pies taste like Christmas. Shortbread tastes of New Year. I think, anyway.
Roughseas, I have a bit of a conundrum with making the mince because it has suet in it. I’m going to have to find a suitable substitute because I want them to be “vegetarian” friendly. Not suitable for vegans, though 🙁
You know you can get vegetarian suet don’t you?
There is a product available here – in a brick. Not sure how it will work. Gonna give it a try this winter and when citrus is in season.
Atora was the one I was thinking of, and they do it shredded. Brick should be ok. Just more work 🙂
Grating… 😉
Interesting timing. I have a recipe calling for suet and have to find a source here in Australia. Hoping the butcher might be the go. Lucky you getting a mouse for Christmas. 🙂
Weren’t we just! And the minx has definitely not stopped hunting…another mouse yesterday 🙂
The butcher would definitely be your to-to person. If I remember correctly, the best suet is mutton, not beef. The former is harder when cold. And it’s the preferred fat to add to a good old South African boerewors!
Fiona, if you need me to bring you out some grated / shredded Atora, let me know! Really easy to get in England. I actually think all Atora is now veggie, but would need to check. Sure it will keep until winter.
Lisa, thank you, but in the interests of wanting to do it again, I’m going to try it with what I can find locally.
That said, I think that what both Mr Mac, whom you know, and I would like, is some pinhead oatmeal…..That might spur us on to do haggis and Atholl Brose…Been threatening to do the former for ages and the latter since. Could experiment with the latter when you’re here…
Might actually get to do a Burns / St Andrews dinner….
It is so astonishing to image Christmas in summer (though at the rate the stores are backing-up the holiday shopping season, it’s bound to happen sooner or later. Sadly, mince has never been my favorite pie. I will check back when it is cherry or apple season south of the equator.
Ah, I think that fruit mince is a bit like marmalade: people either like it or they don’t. That’s just the way it is! Our fruit harvest is well under way – apricots done (and chutney made), peaches and plums now, followed by grapes (wine) and apples….
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Looks good!!!
Thank you!
I should get better at baking. I can bake, just not well! No patience lol.
Hahaha! Practice makes perfect…it helps to have willing (a) guinea pig(s)!! I’m still practicing with meringues after this mess http://fionasfavourites.com/2015/10/19/magic-mess/ Watch this space! 😉
Pinhead oatmeal can join my other goodies heading for McGregor! A Burn’s Supper McGregor style sounds fascinating and just the kind of entertainment I would expect to happen. Roll on April, the weather in the UK is rather grey and depressing at the moment 🙂
That would be wonderful. So, let’s see what we can do. Hopefully it will be cooler in April. Right now we are melting….
That cute little kitty needs to join tummy rub Tuesday. 😉
As for the mince pies very impressive! I’m far too lazy to make them myself 😡 I did get a deluxe version for my family tho. ^^
Thanks, Marc-Andre – I will drop you a note. Pearli doesn’t show her tummy much (at all), so I need to find a suitable pic. Melon, though, she’s another story and I’ve been planning to send you a pic of her for a while….
The hint of a tummy like in this curl is already sufficient for the shy cats. 😉
But looking forward to Melon. 😀
Thanks, Marc, on both counts! You will be hearing from me!
No matter what ‘facts’ I have in my head..I am always surprised by Christmas in the summer season.
A beautiful post. Thank you.
So, in this country/the Southern Hemisphere, a big thing in July is Christmas in Winter… 😉
There was a period here in the United States when various organizations were holding Christmas in July fund raisers etc, and stores were having themed sales along those lines.
I’m thinking that is where they got the idea.
Enjoyed visiting with your website this morning. Happy to be a new follower.
Thank you and great having you on board!
Pleasure all mine.
My grandmother used to make mincemeat pie for Thanksgiving and as a child I didn’t much like it due to the spice. I wish I had her recipe today because I’m sure as a 41 year old my opinions on it would be completely different. I hope you had a happy holiday!
I did, thank you. Your granny’s recipe would have been so interesting. All the best for 2016!