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The Best Mince Pies in the World
It is not so difficult to make good mince-meat as to make the pies healthful and enjoyable after it is made. Mince pies, too frequently, in hotels where the desire is to make them rich, are made so that they are little better than dabs of sweetened grease. The finest puff-paste is not suitable for them, but a medium quality should be made. The edges will not rise on mince pies much in any case, and rich puff-paste is lost upon them. They have the poorest appearance of any pies if baked plain, but can be made most inviting by being glazed, But don't paint them with yellow smears of egg-yolk. Mix the yolk of an egg thoroughly with twice as much water; brush the tops of the pies over with it before baking; sift a very thin coating of granulated sugar all over, and then bake in a moderate oven till the bottoms are baked dry and light brown, and the tops are covered with a crisp, glazed crust. Mince pies should have both bottom and top crusts rolled quite thin; otherwise the superfluous pastry edges are invariably thrown away.
Mince-Meat a la Royale.
Strictly first-class in all its appointments. 2 pounds of lean roast or boiled beef. 2 pounds of suet. 2 pounds of apples. 2 pounds of currants. 2 pounds of seedless raisins. 2 pounds of brown sugar. 1 pound of candied citron, 2 ounces of ground spices--mace, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. 1 or 2 cans of Bartlett pears, with the juice. 2 pounds of preserved ginger. 12 oranges--juice and grated rind. 6 lemons-juice and grated rind. 1 pint of rum. 1 pint of brandy. 1 quart of port wine. Chop all the ingredients small. Don't grind them in a machine. Then mix everything together--the dry articles first, and liquids poured over them. Put the mince-meat in jars, cover close, and let stand a week or two before using. When preserved ginger cannot be had, boil half a pound of common race ginger in syrup made with 2 lbs. of sugar in 2 quarts of water. When boiled down to one quart, put the syrup in the mince, and further extract the ginger flavor by pouring the port wine upon it and making warm. This ginger is not to be used in the mince-meat, only its extracted flavor.
When the oranges furnished are ripe and thinskinned it is better to chop half of them after squeezing, and add them to the mince, instead of only grating. Grate the rest and use the juice of all after excluding the seeds.