Holiday Chef's Corner: Chef Cathal Armstrong's Mince Meat Pies

If you like to keep busy in the kitchen during the holidays, we have some fun new recipes for you to try out this week thanks to members of Alexandria's culinary community.

Chef Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve and The Eat Good Food Group sent in this recipe for one of his traditional Christmastime favorites—mince meat pies.

Chef Cathal Armstrong’s Mince Meat Pies

Ingredients for the mince meat

• 1/2 lb. fresh beef suet, chopped fine
• 1/4 lb. golden raisins

• 1/4 lb. seedless raisins

• 1/2 apple, peeled and grated
• 3/4 lb. dried currants

• 1/4 lb. coarsely chopped almonds
• 1/4 lb. coarsely chopped mixed
• 3/4 lb. sugar

• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

• 1/8 tsp. ground allspice

• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

• 1/4 oz. minced fresh ginger

• 2oz brandy

• 1/4 oz. salt

• Juice and zest of 2 lemons

Method for the mince meat

Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cover bowl and set the mince meat aside in a cool place (not the refrigerator) for 3 weeks. Check the mince meat once a week and stir well. Mince meat can be kept indefinitely in a covered container in a cool place, without refrigeration, but after a month or so you may refrigerate if you like.

Mincemeat Pies


Recipe makes eight 2½-inch pies and requires the following pastry plus 8 tsp. softened butter and 1½ cups mincemeat.

Ingredients

• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into bits
• 1½  cups unbleached flour

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. ice water

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a pastry brush, coat bottom and sides of eight 2½-inch tart tins with the softened butter, allowing 1 tsp. for each tin.

Combine butter, flour, salt, sugar, either in bowl or food processor. Add enough water to make the mixture just adhere together, so it is not crumbly. Form into ball, wrap in waxed paper and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out onto floured pastry cloth and with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut 16 3-inch rounds of pastry. Gently press 8 rounds into tins, one at a time, then spoon about 3 Tbsp. of the mincemeat into each pastry shell. With a pastry brush dipped in cold water, lightly moisten the outside edges of the pastry shells and carefully fit the remaining 8 rounds over them. Crimp the edges with a fork. Trim excess pastry from around rims with a sharp knife, and cut two parallel slits, about ½-inch long and ¼-inch apart in the top of each pie.

Arrange pies on a baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. and continue baking for 20 minutes more, or until crust is golden brown. Run the blade of a knife around the inside edges of the pies to loosen them slightly, and set them aside to cool in the pans. Then turn out the pies with a narrow spatula and serve.