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Mince Pies

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pabs1903
pabs1903 Posts: 245 Forumite
in Old style MoneySaving
How do you make them properly?

The pastry on mine became all horrid and sticky, and the milk round the edges look very perculiar.

Any pointers?

Thankyou so much in advance!
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  • recovering_spendaholic
    recovering_spendaholic Posts: 3,062 Forumite
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    pabs1903 wrote:
    How do you make them properly?

    The pastry on mine became all horrid and sticky, and the milk round the edges look very perculiar.

    Any pointers?

    Thankyou so much in advance!
    What were you using milk for? I make mine using rich shortcrust pastry (8oz flour, 4oz hard stork margarine, 1oz sugar) and I roll it out not tooo thin. I put a tsp of mincemeat in each pie and seal the lids on with just a little bit of water. I pierce the top of the pies with a fork and then bake without glazing them. When they come out of the oven I dust them with caster sugar (not icing).
    Jane

    ENDIS. Employed, no disposable income or savings!
  • pabs1903
    pabs1903 Posts: 245 Forumite
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    The BBC say to put milk on the edges.

    I got the pastry from a packet.

    They taste ok(ish), but they look like the oddest things I've ever seen!

    I glazed them with egg.

    How can I make them look and tast good?

    Many thanks :)
  • fudgem
    fudgem Posts: 534 Forumite
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    I like my mince pies without a pastry top. Just let them cool down and drizzle some icing over the top. They look nice, and by golly they taste nice
  • rchddap1
    rchddap1 Posts: 5,926 Forumite
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    I don't glaze with egg...but use a bit of water and sprinkle some caster sugar on the top. This gives them a crusty sugar top that I like.

    Have to admit though...would never use packet shortcrust pastry, but would make my own.
    Baby Year 1: Oh dear...on the move

    Lily contracted Strep B Meningitis Dec 2006 :eek: Now seemingly a normal little monster. :beer:
    Love to my two angels that I will never forget.
  • Blairweech
    Blairweech Posts: 1,379 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
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    My shortcrust pastry always comes out quite tough. Which is a shame, because I love mince pies.
    We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment
  • pabs1903
    pabs1903 Posts: 245 Forumite
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    They look very peculiar.
  • rchddap1
    rchddap1 Posts: 5,926 Forumite
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    For some reason I just seem to have a 'thing' with shortcrust pastry. Part of the trick is to handle it as little as possible.
    Baby Year 1: Oh dear...on the move

    Lily contracted Strep B Meningitis Dec 2006 :eek: Now seemingly a normal little monster. :beer:
    Love to my two angels that I will never forget.
  • beachbeth
    beachbeth Posts: 3,862 Forumite
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    Pastry can be difficult, but I would have a go at making it if I were you. Use half fat to flour, eg. 8oz plain flour, along with 2oz marg and 2oz fat/lard. Then just add only enough water to make it into a dough. You can always add more water but you can't take it out if you add too much!

    A good tip is to put some water in a cup with ice in it to keep it as cold as possible and only use fingertips to work the dough because the palms of your hands are too warm. Once you have your dough, cover in clingfilm and put in the fridge for half an hour before rolling out because it makes it easier to roll too.
  • doddsy
    doddsy Posts: 396 Forumite
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    beachbeth - that's exactly how I make mine too!

    Last year a friend gave me a tip. Dollop just a little knob of philadelphia cheese on top of the mince before you put the top on. You can't taste a cheese flavour, it's just like having a little lump of clotted cream INSIDE the pie. Very nice it was too.

    doddsy
    We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
    – Marian Wright Edelman
  • pabs1903
    pabs1903 Posts: 245 Forumite
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    Thankyou.

    I shall try next week.
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