These are not just any old mince pies, they are not even M&S mince pies, they are my mince pies. Having lived in France for 18 months now, making your own and baking your own is very much order of the day. Hubby and I have learned to become fiendish foragers and for many months of the year there is much to harvest.... for free.
Our current rental homes is home to a real fruity collection and this year we had a glut of gorgeous cherries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries, not to mention the small vineyard canopy that crowns our heads as we walk down a small gravel pathway from our back door. We did nothing with the grapes this year, but if there is a fruitful harvest in 2014, we will certainly be doing something with them.
So back to the mince pies. I made a small batch in 2012 which were well received by family members and a small circle of friends. Following on from the success of 2012 I set about making a bigger batch of homemade mixture this year. Using the usual ingredients of mixed currants, raisins and mixed peel and suet I decided to add a dash of my favourite ingredient.... Pineau.
Pineau for those who are not accustomed to this moreish drink is a delicious mix of brandy and wine, red or white, warm or chilled. It is the apero glue for many a French man or woman and a great favourite of the expat community [it is where I live!].
So Pineau now has pride of place in my mincemeat mixture along with foraged walnuts that were scavenged on short journeys to and from various destinations. Walnuts are not cheap in the UK and are not cheap in France either, so a carrier bag of walnuts is a prized possession for me. Particularly this year. The Spring and Summer of 2013 produced a bounty of fruit but alas, not a good year for the nuts. The foraged walnuts also have pride of place in my mincemeat mixture. Most people would set about de-shelling their walnuts with a nutcracker, but I prefer a more cave woman approach. I have a specific smooth stone for cracking my walnuts and have been using this favourite stone for a couple of years now and the whole process is rather therapeutic.
With all ingredients ready, it's now time for mincemeat ingredients to meet Pineau. When I say a dash of Pineau, what I really meant to say was three quarters of a bottle! All packed into a large plastic container to ferment and fuse for 30 days or more.
Friday 13th December 2013 I made my first batch of mince pies. Thirty to start off with and enough mixture left for another 30 or more! They have been well received and make a great excuse to go and see friends, deliver Christmas cards along with the much awaited mince Pineau pies. I have talked them up for some time now and I am inwardly pleased that they have lived up to the culinary hoo hah that I have given them.
It seems that I have set myself a tradition and look forward to bashing the hell out of those walnuts in 2014!
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