Mince Pies
Most
Flag visitors will, by now, be suffering from a severe case of
writer's cramp! It is that time of year again when Yuletide cards have
to be bought, written and posted. No other type of greetings card can
compete with the volume of Yule cards purchased and sent, much to the
delight of the postal authorities, world-wide. The blame, for what has
become Big Business, can be laid at the door of a Scotsman. It was a
printer in Leith, one Charles Drummond, whom we thank or blame, depending
on your point of view, for setting in motion the practise of sending
Yuletide cards. In 1841 he printed a card portraying a cheery,
well-fed-looking chiel with a message proclaiming "A gude New Year and
mony o' them". No mention of Christmas, as Christmas was just another
normal working day in Scotland until the 1960s. Scots celebrated the
New Year. So from a wee shop in Leith's Kirkgate, began, with a little
help from England's Charles Dickens and Germany's Prince Albert, a
practise which is now accepted as the norm. To help you recover from
writing Yuletide cards and to help get you into the Festive mood have
some mulled wine with this weeks recipe. Mince Pies are a tasty,
traditional Yuletide treat.
with short crust pastry 9-12 pies
Ingredients: 6 oz Self Raising flour; 3 oz margerine; 1 oz sugar; cold
water to bind; mincemeat ( as required )
Sift flour, then rub in margerine until mix is like breadcrumbs. Stir
in sugar. Add water to form stiff dough. Roll out and cut into
rounds, larger for bases, smaller for tops. Place bases in tartlet
tins, spoon in mincemeat, and, having moistened the underside edges of
the smaller rounds, place on top and press edges to seal. Make a small
slit in the top. Glaze with a little milk. Bake at Electric 475 deg F
/ Gas Mark 6 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with either caster or icing
sugar.
