Coffin or Star?

You must be thinking I have gone off my rocker but this title, "Coffin or Star?", is not as daft as it may sound. In days gone by, the crust of a pie (yes, we're taking pie again) was called the coffin. We have moved on since then and just call it the pie crust but I can see where they were coming from. Especially when you know that in those days most pies were not round but oblong, regardless of the filling. The question itself, coffin or star, relates to how you fancy your mince pies; do you prefer a full 'coffin', or are you more of the 'star' variety?

My preference depends on how sweet the filling is, how much alcohol it contains and how good the crust is. If the filling is not too sweet, and contains a decent amount of alcohol, then I prefer a 'coffin' as the pastry will dampen the harshest alcohol flavours and add sweetness to the filling. If the filling is too sweet and there is not a lot (or no) alcohol, then I prefer a 'star' (or any other shape the baker has come up with).
Aesthetically, however, I prefer the 'star'; I like the contrast between the dark filling and the golden pastry, so I will usually make plenty of full 'coffins' and a few 'stars' to put on top of the pile.

In 2008 I had my first British Christmas. Can you imagine my face the first time I had a mince pie? Someone, I think it was my now sister-in-law, asked me if I wanted cream or custard with my mince pie. As I only knew mince of the meat variety, this question puzzled me. Why on earth would anyone want to have custard with a gorgeous beef pie? The look on my face must have been worth a million quid, and before long everyone was laughing at my mistake. It was quickly explained that Mince Meat is a sweet filling of dried fruit with spices. I opted for the brandy cream...

Mince pies used to contain meat and was a mix of (usually) mutton, suet, dried fruit and spices that had been brought over by the European crusaders returning from the Middle-East. The original recipes used to contain thirteen ingredients representing Jesus Christ and his twelve Apostles. The meat component has since been dropped from the recipe, although this was still used in the 1900s, but suet is still required.

With Christmas fast approaching (just 37 more days), I suddenly realised this morning that I had not made my 'Mince Meat' yet. There is still time but I need to get a move on... 

Mince Meat

(to be used in Mince Pies)

Ingredients:

• 500 gram Bramley apples
• 500 gram mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, dates, figs)
• 225 gram chopped, mixed peel
• 500 gram suet of choice
• 500 gram demerara sugar
• 2 lemons, grated zest and juice
• 60 gram chopped, mixed nuts
• 1 tablespoon mixed, ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger)
• 4 tablespoons whiskey, rum or brandy (optional)

Thirteen ingredients (excluding the optional alcohol and including the suet)!

Method:

1. Peel and chop the apples into pieces the size of the sultanas
2. Mix the apples with the lemon juice and rind
3. Chop the dates and figs into pieces the size of the sultanas and add to the apple mix
4. Add the rest of the dried fruit, mixed peel, nuts, spices, suet and sugar
5. Stir in the alcohol (optional) and leave to stand, overnight, at room temperature, covered with a cloth
6. Pre-heat the oven to the lowest setting
7. Stir the mixture and transfer to an oven proof dish
8. Put the dish in the oven and heat slowly for one hour
9. Pack into clean, dry jars, cover with wax disks and cling film or cloth
10. Store in a cool, dark place until needed
• The longer it can stand the better the flavours will be developed

The recipe should yield approximately six 500 gram jars.

I wish you an early Merry Christmas

Enjoy