Pear Mince Pie Food

PEAR AND RAISIN MINCE PIE WITH LATTICE CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Blend flour, salt and sugar in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until butter is cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Add 6 tablespoons ice water. Using on/off turns, blend until dough comes together, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; divide into 2 pieces. Flatten pieces into disks; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• For filling:
• Mix first 7 ingredients in bowl. Mix in pears and cornstarch. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13- to 14-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish; spoon in filling. Roll out second dough disk to 12-inch round; using ruler as aid, cut dough into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Lay strips over filling, spacing 3/4 inch apart. Lay additional strips at right angle to first strips, forming lattice. Trim overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold dough edge and strip ends under; crimp to seal. Brush dough strips (not edge) with yolk mixture.
• Bake pie until crust is golden and pears are tender, about 50 minutes; cool.

PEAR-MINCE PIE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the first 11 ingredients.
• Bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, over low heat for 40 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in brandy.
• Pour filling into a pastry-lined 9-inch pie plate; top with remaining pastry; trim edges; seal and flute.
• Cut slits in crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake on the lower rack in a 425° oven for 15 minutes.
• Lower heat to 375° and bake 30 minutes.

EASY MINCEMEAT

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients, except the brandy, in a large saucepan. Cook over a low heat for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sugar and suet have completely dissolved.
• Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature before stirring in the brandy. The mincemeat may look loose at this stage, but it will continue to thicken. You can encase it in pastry as soon as it's cooled. Alternatively, spoon the warm mincemeat into a large sterilised jar or several smaller ones (see tip, below). Will keep in a cool, dry place for up to six months.

CRANBERRY & PEAR PIES

Steps:

• To make the pastry, tip the flour, almonds and sugar into a food processor then pulse in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pulse in up to 5 tbsp cold water until mixture comes together as a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hr.
• To make the filling, tip the cranberries into a pan with the sugar and cornflour and stir well. Stir in the orange curd, then cook for a few mins until thickened. Add the pears and cook a few mins more, stirring frequently. Cool.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 with a large baking sheet inside. Roll out the pastry and use to line 8 x 10cm individual Yorkshire pudding tins (or 10cm individual tart tins). Spoon in the cooled filling. Roll out the rest of the dough and stamp out 4 x 9cm rounds to make lids. Cut out the centres with a medium star cutter.
• Carefully cover half the pies with the pastry lids and place the stars on a baking tray. Crimp the edges of each pie (if using straight edged tins) with your finger and thumb, brush the pies and stars with the egg then dredge with sugar. Bake the stars for 8-10 mins and the pies for 15-20 mins until golden. Dredge with more sugar once out of the oven. Place a star on the open pies and serve with cream or ice cream.

MINCE & PEA PIES

Steps:

• Fry the mince in a little oil over a high heat, stirring to break up any lumps, until it's well browned all over. Transfer the mince to a plate, then fry the onion, carrots and celery in the rest of the oil over a low heat until softened. Stir in the tomato purée and crumble in the stock cube, then return the mince to the pan and give everything a good stir. Fry for a minute, then add 300ml water. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 mins, then remove the lid and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the peas, then turn off the heat and leave to cool for 10 mins
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Divide the mince mixture between four individual pie dishes (or use one large dish). Brush the dish rims with egg. Unroll the pastry and cut it into four pieces for the individual pies - roll the pieces out a little more to fit the pie dishes if you need to. Top each pie with some pastry, press down against the rim and trim any excess. Seal the edges with a fork, or crimp if you like, then brush the pastry with egg.
• Poke a little hole in the top, decorate with any offcuts if you like (brushed with a little egg), then cook for 25-30 mins or until the pastry is golden and risen. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

MINCEMEAT PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Prepare pastry for a 2-crust, 9 1/2" deep dish pie.
• In large bowl, combine mince, pears, nuts, zest & ginger, then spoon into prepared pie shell.
• Top with 2nd crust, then flute & cut several slits in top.
• Sprinkle with sugar & bake 35-45 minutes, until golden brown.
• If necessary, cover edges with foil to keep from over-browning or burning.

PEAR-CRANBERRY MINCEMEAT LATTICE PIE

Steps:

• Make mincemeat:
• Stir together all ingredients except pastry dough and chill in an airtight container, stirring at least once a day for at least 3 days.
• Make pie:
• Put oven rack in middle position. Put a large baking sheet on rack and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Roll out larger piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round, then fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out smaller piece of dough for top crust.
• Roll out smaller piece of dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin into a roughly 16- by 11-inch rectangle. Cut crosswise into 12 (1-inch-wide) strips with a pastry wheel or a sharp knife. Stir mincemeat, then spoon into shell in an even layer. Weave a lattice pattern over pie with pastry strips.
• Trim edges of strips flush with edge of bottom crust. Fold bottom crust up over edges of lattice and decoratively crimp.
• Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil if it begins to brown too quickly. Continue to bake until crust is golden brown and filling begins to bubble around edge, about 1 hour more. Transfer pie to a rack and cool to warm or room temperature, about 2 hours. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

PEAR MINCEMEAT

Steps:

• Measure first 5 ingredients into large pot. Stir.
• Grind next 4 ingredients into same pot. Stir well.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Simmer; uncovered, until thick.
• Spoon into hot sterilized pint jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Place sterilized metal lids on jars and screw metal bands on securely. For added assurance against spoilage, you may choose to process in a boilnig water bath for 20 minutes.
• This also freezes well. If stored in containers in refrigerator, it keeps at least 1 year.
• Pear Mincemeat Pie:.
• To make a 9 inch pie from recipe, use 2 cups mincemeat, 3/4 cups apple sauce and 1 1/2 tsbp minute tapioca. Bake on bottom shelf of 400 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, until browned.

MINCE PIES

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients for the mincemeat in a bowl and add brandy or rum to cover the fruit. Stir well, then let it rest overnight. The next day, stir again and then divide among sterilized preserving jars.
• To make the pastry, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture until it is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and egg yolk and knead until the mixture comes together into a smooth dough. Alternatively, use a food processor to make the pastry. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease the tart molds with butter and cover the base of each with a small circle of parchment paper. Dust with flour.
• Briefly knead the pastry until smooth, then pat it into a rectangle and roll it out to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Use a round cutter with a diameter of 2¾ - 3¼ inches to cut out pastry circles. Gently push the pastry rounds into the tart molds. Prick the base or each tart shell three times with a fork.
• Knead the remaining dough back together and roll it out to cut out the lids-you can choose whichever shape you like, but stars are the most traditional.
• Divide the 8 ounces of filling among the tarts and press down gently. Place the lids on top and brush with the egg wash.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.