Mince pies and cold turkey

[Speicher]

I usually buy my mince pies, but this year I think I will make them. Is it best to use butter or lard or something else in shortcrust pastry? One recipe suggested leaving the pastry to rest overnight in the fridge, or does just an hour or two help?

Do you add any secret ingredients to shop-bought mince meat? Rum, brandy etc?

Secondly, Turkey, what is meant when a turkey is described as "Bronze".
To make sure I do not need to eat turkey for a month or more, I was thinking of getting a Turkey Crown. Turkey legs are the dark meat are they?

So many questions, I would like some help here please.

I will also be making the (small) Pudding.

 

[col]

I can only say turkey crowns are great,we tried one a few years ago for christmas,not being too sure,and have got one every year since,just solid meat,and loads of it.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

With reference to the mince pies, don't use shortcrust pastry, use puff pastry, it's miles better. Me and Mrs EMD just finished off the batch I made on Sunday (this mornings breakfast!). Just use a quality jar of mincemeat (Tesco finest is good) add a bit of cinamon and hey bingo!

Don't know anything about turkeys other than they taste nice!!

 

[col]

Oh i just remembered,when i worked in a bakery years ago,we used to make large blocks of pastry the day before we used them and keep them in the fridge over night,i cant remember why,but it was the prefered way.
And we also used butter in shortcrust, it was butter in puff too.

 

[Paulus]

Speicher, myself and MrsP discovered Turkey crowns a few years back. They are more or less the whole rolled body of the turkey, but without the bones or legs. It is very easy to carve and you get no waste, plus they are a lot cheaper than a whole bird. My mum used to make endless croquettes, curries and soup with the carcass, she always bought a ostritch sized one, but it hung around for quite a few days after christmas. Crowns are a lot better IMHO.

As for mince pies, use really good quality mince meat and add an extra splash of brandy or sherry to taste.

 

[wafflycat]

I usually buy my mince pies, but this year I think I will make them. Is it best to use butter or lard or something else in shortcrust pastry? One recipe suggested leaving the pastry to rest overnight in the fridge, or does just an hour or two help?

Do you add any secret ingredients to shop-bought mince meat? Rum, brandy etc?

Secondly, Turkey, what is meant when a turkey is described as "Bronze".
To make sure I do not need to eat turkey for a month or more, I was thinking of getting a Turkey Crown. Turkey legs are the dark meat are they?

So many questions, I would like some help here please.

I will also be making the (small) Pudding.

Pastry needs to chill - an hour in the fridge should be ok. Butter pastry is delicious for a sweet mince pie.

Add a splash of alcohol, or some chopped nuts - chopped cherries.. chopped dried apricots.. to shop-bought mincemeat. YUM.

Bronze turkeys are a specific breed - they taste delicious. The best, though, is the Norfolk Black. YUM.

Turkey legs do have darker meat than the breast. Getting a turkey crown means lots of breast meat only, but beware - they can be a bit dry unless you take ample steps to keep them moist during cooking. I bard mine with rashers of streaky bacon and I cook stuffing under the crown. All helps to get flavoursome *moist* meat.

Hope this helps.

 

[rich p]

puff pastry and mince pies is a big NO inho.

In fact puff pastry and any pie is wrong

 

[Speicher]

Thank you all so far for your excellent suggestions. I can add the extra ingredients, nutmeg, nuts, etc to my shopping list. I am trying to plan ahead so that I can avoid the madness that tends to descend on shops as we get near the middle of December. I have done some of my gift buying, not that there is a lot of it to start with, on line. Nearer the time, special choccy or alcohol presents will be bought locally. There is a farm shop where I can order a Turkey crown, and collect it without needing to park in a busy place.

The pudding recipe has "gravy browning" as one of its ingredients, doesn't that just add salt and colouring? I intend to leave that out.

 

[col]

Marks and spencers do lovely puds,its not just a pud its an .................

 

[Fnaar]

we get a whole turkey asnd everything is used, even bones for making soup etc... yum tyum yum can't get enough of it

 

[Mr Phoebus]

Mince pies and cold turkey

Are mince pies really that addictive? What, worse than crack?

Please, just one more mince pie. Please, I'm really hurtin'.

 

[Over The Hill]

Would Christmas be Christmas without getting the dried-out old turkey carcass out of the fridge again to pick some meat off for another round of turkey sandwiches.

 

[summerdays]

If you add a bit of icing sugar to the pastry it makes it sweeter, and homemade mince is fantastic - subsitute anything you like (within reason - cherries are nice). I did it for the first time last year. The other good thing about it, is that home made mince pies are much smaller than the shop bought - so you don't mind going back for a second one (whilst not feeling too guilty). I used the recipes in the Womon's Institute Christmas book that my mum gave me the year before.

 

[Fnaar]

Would Christmas be Christmas without getting the dried-out old turkey carcass out of the fridge again to pick some meat off for another round of turkey sandwiches.

Cold stuffing with salad cream...
I love mince pies, but they make me produce truly foul whiffs , so I'm sort of banned from eating too many of them, by arrangement with the mrs.

 

[Maz]

Are mince pies really that addictive? What, worse than crack?

Please, just one more mince pie. Please, I'm really hurtin'.