The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

MingVase

I don't suppose any Fencers have a good recipe for mince pies? I fancy making my own for the first time ever. Lowish sugar if poss please as husband is diabetic.

jamanda

I just use the ordinary half trex/half marg one, no sugar.  We don't like the sweet pastry much here.  (Although we will wuff it down if it's there).

MingVase

Shortcrust jamanda?

jamanda

Yes, half fat to flour as normal.  I've tried the fancy stuff with icing sugar in.  For one thing it isn't easy to work with, we find the end results too sweet and, most of all, I can't be bother to faff that much these days.  I think there is enough flavour in mincement, especially when you have "doctored" it, to make plain shortcrust pastry acceptable.

I do, unfortunately, dob water on the top and sprinkle some soft brown sugar on before making the hole, so fall down a bit on the "low sugar".  It also hides a multitude of sins if the pastry isn't your bestest.

maddiemay

MingVase - if you and your OH like/is allowed stewed apple, my dear friend always used to put a layer of this in the base of her mince pie(s) to cut back the sweetness, they were always delicious, the apple could be sweetened with a little sweetener if over sharp. This would lower the overall sugar content somewhat.

MingVase

That's perfect, ta both xx I can put apples in his pies, he loves apples, I don't. I can put brown sugar in mine.

Nargleblast

Ming, if you make your own mincemeat you can leave out the sugar as there is plenty of sweetness in the dried fruit, It takes about five minutes to make.

500 gms dried fruit
Half a packet of suet
(50 gms brown sugar)
1 peeled and chopped apple
1 teaspoonful mixed spice
Grated orange zest
Glace cherries
Flaked almonds
Mix it all together with enough brandy to make a wet mix.

Cover and leave for a week before using. Put into sterilised jars.

Some mincemeat recipes tell you to cook it, this one you don't. It will keep for several months in a cool place, but I just make enough to use up over Christmas.

Wraithlady

Actually, I put a layer of grated apple in the pies - doesn't need to be stewed, and the sharper the better. It cuts through the over-claggy mincemeat.
Nargle, may well nick your recipe - all the ones online seem incredibly complicated with hundreds of ingredients

Living_proof

I hate to be a party pooper here but mince pies are one of the worst things a diabetic could eat. It would be fine if anyone could stop at one.... but dried fruit has such a high proportion of sugar it's not the best choice, sorry.

Nargleblast

You're right, Living Proof, all that dried fruit means you can never have a completely low sugar mince pie. The idea about adding apple to the pies to reduce the amount of mincemeat will help a little. Ming will just have to ration them, say just one with his afternoon cuppa, or maybe one as dessert after his main meal, then just watch what he has the rest of the day. My OH had diabetes, it was a bit of a juggling act to get things right.