I'll never beat her mince pies!!!

[alphabetsoup1980]

There is was a member staff at my work (now 2 years retired) and she always made the 'first mince pies' of the Christmas season and brought them in. Everybody RAVED about them, and I agree that they were pretty nice, but they have now become the stuff of legends.... since she has retired, no one else has made any...
I'm feeling brave and want to make some this weekend..
I would usually use my trusted be-ro pastry recipe (lard and butter).

Any extra tips for really 'melt-in-your-mouth' shortcrust pastry???

Basically I want to see my name in Christmas-Mince-Pie Lights forever - not that I've put myself on a pedestal or anything!!!!!

Help a desperate sister out! 😘😘

My mum makes legendary mince pies. She adds orange zest to the pastry and a teaspoon of cream cheese under the lid above the mincemeat - sounds odd / unorthodox but I’ve never had a better mince pie.

Don't take mince pies to work. Even if yours are better, hers are now legendary, as you said. You'll just feel sad when people inevitably talk about hers. Make something different. Maybe Christmas cake?

Make your usual mince pies, OP. Most of the time someone’s ‘legendary’ something is in fact perfectly ordinary and is just benefiting from hype or being the first of the season, or a tradition. No one will remember your former colleague’s by now anyway.

If you’re not naturally gifted in the art of pastry making, just buy buttery shortcrust and roll in crumbled cooked chestnuts and Orange zest by folding it over. Just don’t overwork it. You’ll probably find legendary pies had a ton of cheats in them. Like Phoebe’s mum’s cookies....

Second the orange zest, I do this as well as use a combination of water and orange juice to make up the pastry. If using an alcohol infused mincemeat make sure its one that compliments orange - cointreau or brandy is good.

Paul Hollywood's mince pies are lovely and I find with his pastry if I roll it out between sheets of baking paper so my pastry is really thin then even my Dad said they were the best mince pies.

My mum used to use an almond paste to pipe on the top instead of pastry. Nicest mince pies ever!

My MIL makes amazing mince pies. I’m usually good at baking but I think I’m sort of intimidated by the mince pie expectations and mine are always crap!

A small amount of ground almonds ( like 1/4 almonds, 3/4 flour) will make a lovely pastry but it’s very short and hard to work with.

@Silverstripe

My mum makes legendary mince pies. She adds orange zest to the pastry and a teaspoon of cream cheese under the lid above the mincemeat - sounds odd / unorthodox but I’ve never had a better mince pie.

I use that recipe too! The mince pies are always praised. The recipe includes making the mincemeat. I’d never use any other now.

What about something different - a lighter version with filo pastry, a mince meat turnover (different shape).

Maybe it's also all to do with the presentation and sentiment e.g. I wanted to make better mince pies than Mrs MP - will get you compared to her, but I feel sad she isn't here to make them for us and wanted us to still have pies.....might get you thought of more fondly.

I hope you all enjoy the pies.

I use shop made pastry, and add lemon zest rather than orange. At the end of the day, I'm happy if people who eat them like them.

@Silverstripe

My mum makes legendary mince pies. She adds orange zest to the pastry and a teaspoon of cream cheese under the lid above the mincemeat - sounds odd / unorthodox but I’ve never had a better mince pie.

Yes - a bit of orange zest in the pastry. I'll second, third or whatever that.

My dad once upset my dm by making brilliant mince pies and jam tarts (mums were good, but blimey, these were on another plane) I seem to remember there was lard and icing sugar in the pastry.

The orange zest in the pastry and teaspoon of cream cheese on top of the mincemeat comes from an old Sainsbury's mini cookery book by Joscelyn Dimbleby, 'Cooking for Christmas.'
Best mince pies ever.

One of my colleagues constantly brings cakes etc in. She makes a great big song and dance about it and constantly posts about it on Facebook how everyone loves her cakes

Except they are just pretty bland and people just humour her attention seeking by praising them

My mother makes the best mince pies. With shortcrust pastry and homemade mincemeat. I don't like anything too sweet or fiddled about with. The thought of cream cheese in a mince pie is just 🤮. You can keep the orange rind too

We need some recipes on this page!!

What you need is to make your own mincemeat, dead easy, look up deluas recipe... And then this pastry recipe.. It's a bit of a faff but trust me, it's the dogs..

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/unbelievably-easy-mince-pies

@Kissthepastrychef

One of my colleagues constantly brings cakes etc in. She makes a great big song and dance about it and constantly posts about it on Facebook how everyone loves her cakes

Except they are just pretty bland and people just humour her attention seeking by praising them

😂😂😂 I’d love not to have to bring mince pies into work! I make over sixty just for work every December. Thought I’d be getting away with it this year, with Covid-19. Not a chance! My pod at work asked would I be bringing them in and when I said I thought people would rather not be eating them this year because of Covid, they assured me they had no problem eating them! But at least I only have to make a small amount this year for work as we don’t see the other staff members now.

Pastry made with flour, icing sugar, butter, grated orange zest and orange juice used to bind is really nice. Only thing is, you have to keep putting it into the fridge/keep it very cold as it’s tricky to roll out if it gets too warm. One year I was making mince pies and the ovens were on also, baking Christmas cakes and the kitchen was really warm. I was fit to be tied by the end of it!

*Delias recipe.

I'd be careful using lard, check no one is veggie or vegan!

My mum makes amazing mince pies. The pastry has the orange (or even better, lemon zest) that others mention, but also ground almonds. Best pastry ever. Also, we put a couple of cranberries in each pie (fresh, not the shrivelly ones) and a few flaked almonds in with the mincemeat.

I follow her recipe and mine are good, but hers are better.

My advice is the mincemeat. Most jars are ok but quite stodgy, so I tip a jar of decent out into a bowl and add brandy, cranberries, flaked almonds roughly chopped and maybe a bit more dried fruit to make the mix have a bit more texture and less of that grainy jam sort of texture that bought ones often have.

Please don’t use lard.

Or if you do then please please tell any vegetarians not to eat them

I have another suggestion! I make mine like tiny little Eccles cakes and out a dollop of marzipan inside and Demerara sugar on top. Different and flaky and delicious.