Dried fruit spiked with cinnamon, allspice, and cloves forms the heart of mincemeat, while beef suet lends a luxuriant richness to the filling. For these little hand pies, the fruit, suet, and spices marinate in brandy and orange juice for several days, which helps their unique flavors blend together.
MAKES: 6
INGREDIENTS:
- FOR MINCEMEAT:
- 2 tart green apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- ¾ cup dried currants
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼ cup chopped dried figs
- ¼ cup dried unsweetened sour cherries
- 2 ounces beef suet, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup unrefined cane sugar
- ½ cup brandy
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- TO FINISH THE PIES:
- Simple Sourdough Pie Crust
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon water
INSTRUCTIONS:
-
- Combine all the mincemeat ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, or mince the ingredients finely by hand and stir together in a mixing bowl with the sugar, brandy, orange zest and juice, and spices. Marinate in the refrigerator for 3 days, stirring once a day.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the pie dough into thirds and form each piece into a ball. Roll out each dough ball to a 6-inch round about ⅛ inch thick.
- Spoon about ½ cup of mincemeat onto one half of each dough round. Fold the other half over the mincemeat and seal the edges by pressing them together.
- Pierce the top of the pies with a fork and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the egg, honey, and water glaze over the pies.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 20 minutes, until the crusts are golden brown.
- Allow the pies to cool completely before serving.
