Tuesday 18 December 2012

A mince pie invitation

Gretchen and I would like to know about your favourite mince pie recipe. I have a traditional strawberry recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine's December 2000 edition. My Christmas Cake recipe comes from there too and it is fabulous. But, to be honest, the freeze ahead mince pies have never been fabulous.  They look a bit like these:
 When I think I'd rather they looked a bit like these:
Now the Platonic Ideal of a mince pie recipe doesn't have to look as progressive as these next ones:
I'd be very happy with an ordinary but muchly tasty mp, just like the one I had heated with cream in my favourite Belfast coffee shop with my favourite Prince today. Mmmm. Misty week before Christmas, nice and early in the day, before the rioters are out of bed....
So. If you have a preference for Delia or Nigel or Nigella or Jamie. Or if you have a link to The Best Mince Pie in the world, Gretchen and I invite you to let us know! Maybe you'd even like to blog the archetypal pie and we could enjoy it vicariously? There are so many pies out there, and only seven sleeps left!

8 comments:

Mise said...

Oh my goodness. I was feeling quite at ease with my own mince pies till I saw your images. I shall check back here every hour on the hour for recipes/links to that I may rise to the mince pie occasion this year.

Angela said...

Bob loathes citrus peel - so we replace that with some dried cranberries.
I like shortcrust pastry, not puff or phyllo.
I usually put a 'solid' pastry top on my pies - but have been known to put
a blob of meringue, or crumble some streusel topping on.
But this sounds like I am an expert. I am not- I am really up there with Alison Pearson's heroine, who 'distressed' shop bought mincepies, so her son could take them into school as 'homemade' ones.

Pom Pom said...

Woo hoo! Seven sleeps!
My granny made mince pies, but not me. I'd like to read descriptions and what people like about them.

El Perro Blanco said...

Having made Jamie's Mince Pie cookies last year and found the fabulous LIDL ones back in the shops again won't be making mince pies ever again!

GretchenJoanna said...

Pom, what I like IS that my granny made them. It's been so long since I've eaten a piece, or a little pie, I have no idea if I like them now! I figured if I tweaked or found the right recipe, I could make one that I liked....

Kaye Swain - SandwichINK for the Sandwich Generation said...

Oh my, my in-laws would have loved these! I'm afraid I stick to pumpkin pie, but they absolutely loved their mince. Thanks for the delightful visit for a Pause in Advent and for the sweet family memories of lovely Christmases past!

Pam said...

Mine tend to be from Sainsbury...

M.K. said...

Mags, I'm sorry to admit that I've never eaten a mince pie. I've never SEEN a mince pie. I'm not even certain that I know what one is. Does it contain meat -- as in, minceMEAT -- or not? I'm going to watch this blog event with eager interest!!

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