The mincemeat pie can be cooked in a variety of ways. This is traditionally eaten during Christmas and New Year. They are generally prepared with a pastry top. Today, one can even find vegetarian versions of this pie where the traditional filling is replaced by vegetable fat. Here, we shall take a look at some delicious ways of preparing it. Traditional Method Ingredients

• Salt, 1 tsp.
• Ice-cold Water, ⅓ cup
• Mincemeat, 32 oz.
• Lemon Zest, 1
• Egg Yolk, 1
• Milk, 2 tsp.
• Cold Shortening, ⅓ cup
• Margarine, ⅓ cup
• All-purpose Flour, 1¾ cups
• Light Rum, 2 tbsp.
• Walnuts, as garnish (chopped)

Preparation In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the cold shortening and add margarine. When the mixture bears a close resemblance to small peas, sprinkle ice-cold water on it. Now, quickly turn it into a ball. Wrap this dough in a waxed paper and chill it in the refrigerator for an hour. Meanwhile, combine mincemeat with some lemon zest and keep it aside. Prepare a floured surface and roll out ⅔ of the chilled pastry. Line the pastry on a 9" plate and trim the edges. Pour in the mixture. Meanwhile, roll out the remaining pastry and cut 10 strips having a width of ¾". Now, arrange 6 strips in a crosswise fashion on the pie. Place four strips lengthwise. Once done, press gently into the sides of the pie shell. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolk with milk. Use this preparation to brush over the pastry. Bake this in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 425° F. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350° F. Now, you can sprinkle some rum on the top and garnish it with walnuts.. With Brandy and Sherry Ingredients For the Mincemeat Filling

• Beef Suet, ½ lb. (finely chopped)
• Raisins, 4 cups (seedless)
• Currants, 2 cups (dried)
• Cinnamon, 1 tsp.
• Cloves, ½ tsp.
• Brandy, 2½ cups
• Dry Sherry, 1 cup
• Almonds, 1 cup (coarsely chopped)
• Candied Citron, ½ cup (chopped)
• Sugar, 1¼ cups
• Nutmeg, 1 tsp.
• Allspice, 1 tsp.
• Dried Figs, ½ cup (chopped)
• Candied Orange Peel, ½ cup (chopped)
• Candied Lemon Peel, ¼ cup
• Apples, 4 cups (coarsely chopped, peeled, and cored)
• Whipped Cream, for garnish

For the Crust

• Pie Shells, 8 (2½" each)
• Mincemeat, 1½ cups

Preparation Mix currants, almonds, citron, figs, suet, raisins, apples, sugar, nutmeg, allspice, orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl. Stir these ingredients well. Now, pour in the brandy and sherry, and stir it till all the ingredients become moist. Then, cover the bowl and let it rest for 3 weeks. Every week, you would need to check the preparation and keep adding ¼ cup each of brandy and sherry, as per the requirement. Now, you would need to preheat the oven to 375° F. Then, place about 3 tbsp. of meat into each pastry shell. Cover this with a sheet of pastry and use a fork to crimp the edges. You now need to place all the stuffed pies onto a baking sheet and bake it for 10 minutes, till the crust turns golden brown. Once done, let the pie cool down. Remove it from the tin and serve it with whipped cream.