Easy Mince Pie recipes from Devonshire Hotels
Is it even Christmas without a Mince Pie?
These tasty little sugary treats are an age old tradition with Devonshire Hotels and Restaurants and a festive afternoon tea would not be complete without one!
We are often asked what makes our mince pies so tasty, well the secret is preparation. Our different chefs may have their own variation of this festive Devonshire delight but they all use the same secret weapon…a 2 week maturing process for the mince.
This year our Head Pastry Chef Sol at The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow has been persuaded to share her crumbled top easy mince pie recipe with you all to enjoy at home. And if you follow a gluten free diet, don’t worry, just swap your flour to a gluten free option, the rest of the recipe remains the same.
Easy Mince Pie Recipe
Main Equipment:
Weighing scales
Mixing bowl
Sterilised jars (for mince meat to mature in)
Rolling pin
12 cupped tin
Pastry
260g (9 oz) plain or gluten free flour
170g (6 oz) soft butter
80g (3 oz) caster sugar
Filling
250g raisins
375g currants
100ml brandy
zest of 1 lemon, juice of ½
300g shredded suet
250g dark brown sugar
85g chopped mixed peel
½ small nutmeg, grated
1 large Bramley apple, peeled and grated
Crumble topping
225g self-raising or gluten free flour
80g butter
80g caster sugar
Mincemeat recipe
Soak the raisins and currants in the brandy and lemon juice for 1 hr until plumped up, then drain and set the brandy aside. Mix all the ingredients together in the order given, then pour in the brandy when everything else is well mixed. Spoon and press into sterilised jars, to exclude any air (the easiest way to sterilise jars is to run them through a dishwasher on its hottest setting). Cover and leave for at least a fortnight. Will keep in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Method:
Prep: 20min › Cook: 15min › Ready in: 35min
For the pastry cases, mix flour and sugar in a bowl, rub in butter. Knead well to form a smooth paste. Roll out thinly and cut into circles using a large cutter to line about 24 patty tins. Fill with mincemeat.
For the crumble topping, rub butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add sugar and mix thoroughly. Top the mincemeat with the crumble mix.
Bake in a hot oven, 220 C / Gas 7 for 10-15 minutes until the bases are golden. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.
Vegan Mince Pie Recipe
For the vegan enthusiast here’s another recipe courteous of the BBC Good Food website for you to make at home:
Main Equipment:
Weighing scales
Mixing bowl
Rolling pin
12 cupped tin
Food Processor
Pastry
400g flour
200g coconut oil, straight from the fridge (as solid as possible)
20g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
50ml ice-cold vodka (see tip below)
50ml non-dairy milk, for brushing
Filling
1 large apple (around 200g), peeled and grated
200g mixed dried fruit
390g jar black cherries in kirsch
100g skinless hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp allspice
150g dark brown sugar
Method:
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip all the mincemeat ingredients into a casserole dish or roasting tray – be sure to include half the kirsch from the jar of cherries. Mix everything together, then cover with a lid or a sheet of foil. Bake for 35-40 mins until all the sugar has melted, the mixture is bubbling slightly at the edges and the liquid has reduced (the mixture firms a bit as it cools, so be careful not to over-reduce). Set aside to cool completely. Can be made up to three days in advance and chilled in the fridge.
To make the pastry: tip the flour and coconut oil to a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and pulse to just combine, then pour in the vodka and 2 tbsp ice-cold water and pulse until the pastry is just coming together. Add another 2 tbsp water if a little dry, then tip the dough onto a clean surface and pat into a disc with your hands. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
Take the pastry out of the fridge. Cut off one-third of the pastry and keep covered under a tea towel. Cut the rest into five chunks and, one chunk at a time, squeeze with your hands until malleable, then roll out on a well-floured surface to a thickness of 0.5cm. Cut out circles using a 9cm cookie cutter and line 18 holes of two 12-hole cupcake tins. Repeat with the rest of the pastry chunks, re-rolling off-cuts where necessary.
Put a heaped spoonful of mincemeat in the middle of each circle, then put the pies in the fridge. Take the remaining pastry from under the tea towel and roll out to 0.5cm thickness. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Chill for 15 mins to firm up.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Remove the pastry sheet from the fridge and use an 8cm cookie cutter to cut out nine circles, then use a star cutter to cut out the middles. Bring the mince pies out of the fridge and top half of them with the stars and the other half with the stamped-out circles. Use your fingers to seal the tops and bases, then brush the tops with milk. Bake for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and the tops are golden. Cool a little, then dust with a little icing sugar to serve.
Enjoy!