A Generous Table

While talking about favorite Christmas foods one day, my friend Liz told me that she used to love her mom’s mincemeat pie at Christmas – how the mincemeat came in a box and had actual beef in it, and how they liked to eat it with vanilla ice cream.  I told her I was pretty sure I had seen the little boxes at the grocery store, and sure enough, the next time I was there I ran into a stack of them, on sale for Christmas!  That got my tastebuds working, since I like English-style mincemeat tarts.  I made the filling (Nonsuch brand?  I usually see it in the baking aisle way down low by the pie fillings/spices) according to the package directions.  This American-style mincemeat has more apples than raisins/currants and doesn’t have as much citrus peel in it, but it was still good!  Nice and nutmeg-y and not too sweet.  Liz was very pleased to receive these!

Mincemeat Tartlets

• 1 box Concentrated mincemeat filling
• Dough for a 10″ single piecrust (I made the full recipe below and used one half, reserving the other half for another use)

Prepare the mincemeat filling at least 2 hours ahead to allow it to chill after preparing according to package directions.  When you are ready to assemble tartlets, preheat oven to 425F.  Roll dough into a large circle approximately 1/8 inch thick.  Cut 12 rounds with a 3 inch round cutter (Or freehand with a sharp knife)  Using a small cookie cutter about 1 inch in diameter, cut 12 decorative pieces for the top, rerolling dough scraps once, if necessary.  Evenly place dough circles into 12 standard muffin cups. pressing any folds flat and easing to fit.  Fill shells evenly with mincemeat mixture.  Top with decorative cutouts.  Bake about 15-25 minutes, or until golden brown and filling is bubbling.  Let tarts sit in pan for only a few minutes to allow them to set up a bit (or they will burn you and/or break), then remove from pans using the tip of a butter knife and cool on wire rack.  If the filling has bubbled over the edge a bit, make sure to remove from pan while warm, or they will stick and break.  Makes 12.  Keeps a few days – these freeze well, too!

Easiest Pie Pastry

Makes 2 10” crusts, or  3  8” crusts

• 1 cup shortening (preferably non-hydrogenated such as Spectrum Organic) or ¾ cup plus 2 Tbs Lard
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 7-9 Tbs cold water

In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt.  Cut shortening into flour until the largest particles are the size of peas.  Sprinkle with water 1 Tbs at a time, tossing with a fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl.  With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough and form into 2 or 3 balls, then flatten each into a 5-inch disk. Cover any portion you are not working with to prevent it from drying out.  *At this point, dough (tightly wrapped) can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen up to 3 months.  If refrigerating, let sit at room temp for 5 minutes before rolling.  Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Place dough on lightly floured surface and cover lightly with flour.  With a floured rolling pin, roll pastry from the center out in north and south directions, turn pastry a quarter turn and repeat.  If dough starts to stick, flour the surface a bit more, but try to use as little flour as possible.  Roll the dough to about 2” larger all around than the pie pan you are using.  Trim with a knife if necessary. Repair any tears by lightly moistening tear with cold water and pressing edges, overlapping, together.  This recipe works well doubled.

(Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cooking For Today)