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A squeeze of fresh lemon juice perks up the rich flavours of bottled mincemeat in this great-looking pie that takes only 10 minutes of prep.
2 9-in. frozen pie shells, 270-g pouch pastry mix or homemade double-crust pastry
2 cups mincemeat, with or without suet
1/2 cup sultana raisins
1/2 cup glacé cherries
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 to 4 tbsp brandy, rum or orange juice
sprinkling of milk and granulated sugar
If using frozen pastry shells, place 1 on a baking sheet in its foil pan. If using a pastry mix, prepare according to package directions. Then, line a flan pan or a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate with pastry and flute edges. With second pie shell or remaining pastry, cut out 6 or 7 (3-inch/7.5-cm) stars. This is most easily done with a cookie cutter, but can be done freehand with a sharp knife.
Preheat oven to 425F (220C). In a large bowl, stir mincemeat with raisins, cherries and lemon juice. Taste. If brandy is not already in mincemeat, stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons as necessary. Turn into pie shell and smooth top. Lay stars on top, overlapping points, if you like. Brush stars with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake on bottom rack of preheated 425F (220C) oven for 10 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce heat to 350F (180F) and continue baking until mincemeat is heated through and pastry cutouts are browned, from 20 to 25 more minutes. Serve warm. Good with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.
Calories 593, Protein 4.6g, Carbohydrates 87.7g, Fat 26.9g.