New Years Eve Meat Pie Recipes

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the pork, beef, veal, potatoes and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the garlic, seasonings and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently., Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Stir in bread crumbs. Combine egg and remaining water; stir into meat mixture. , Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Fill with meat mixture. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Cover edges loosely with foil., Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil. Reduce heat to 375°; bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add beef and pork; cook 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up meat into crumbles. Drain., Stir tomato sauce and seasonings into meat mixture. Stir in spinach and potatoes. Remove from heat., Unroll one pastry sheet into a 9-in. pie plate; trim even with rim. Add filling. Unroll remaining pastry; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake 10 minutes., Reduce oven setting to 350°. Bake 45-55 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Cover edge loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning.

Steps:

• For the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the egg mixture and stir the dough together with a fork until it is fully moistened and crumbly. Knead the dough a few times until it comes together. If the dough is dry, stir in up to 1 tablespoon cold water. Form the dough into 2 disks, about 11 ounces each, then wrap them in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• For the filling: Meanwhile, peel, halve and core the pears. Cut each half into 4 wedges, and cut the wedges in half crosswise to shorten them. Toss with the sugar, cinnamon, salt and 1/4 cup bourbon. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat, add the pears, return to the heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and the pears begin to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pears are tender when pierced with a knife, 3 to 6 minutes. Strain the pears into a bowl to catch the juices. Put the juices back into the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until caramelized and syrupy, about 2 minutes. Pour the syrup over the pears and chill until cooled.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place an inverted baking sheet on the bottom rack. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll each disk of dough to a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit one into a 9-inch pie pan and trim to a 1/2-inch overhang, then brush the edges with the beaten egg. Fold the edge of the dough underneath and press to seal and crimp. From the second dough circle, cut out stars with 1 1/2-inch, 2-inch and 3 1/2-inch star cutters and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the cutouts with the beaten egg. Sprinkle gold sanding sugar over some, but not all, of the stars. Chill the stars and the crust in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Stir the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons bourbon, if using, into the cooled pear filling, and pour the filling into the crust. Lay the stars on top of the filling, some of them overlapping, so that most of the pie is covered but some of the filling is peeking out. Place the pie on another baking sheet.
• Bake the pie on top of the inverted baking sheet until the crust is light golden brown, the pears are tender and the filling is bubbly, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. (If the crust gets too brown, tent it with aluminum foil.) Let the pie cool 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients for the mincemeat in a bowl and add brandy or rum to cover the fruit. Stir well, then let it rest overnight. The next day, stir again and then divide among sterilized preserving jars.
• To make the pastry, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture until it is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and egg yolk and knead until the mixture comes together into a smooth dough. Alternatively, use a food processor to make the pastry. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease the tart molds with butter and cover the base of each with a small circle of parchment paper. Dust with flour.
• Briefly knead the pastry until smooth, then pat it into a rectangle and roll it out to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Use a round cutter with a diameter of 2¾ - 3¼ inches to cut out pastry circles. Gently push the pastry rounds into the tart molds. Prick the base or each tart shell three times with a fork.
• Knead the remaining dough back together and roll it out to cut out the lids-you can choose whichever shape you like, but stars are the most traditional.
• Divide the 8 ounces of filling among the tarts and press down gently. Place the lids on top and brush with the egg wash.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place the potato in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, mash, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, crumble the ground beef and pork into a large saucepan, and add the garlic, onion and water. Season with mustard powder, thyme, cloves and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring to crumble the meat and mix in the spices, until the meat is evenly browned. Remove from the heat, and mix in the mashed potato.
• Place one of the pie crusts into a 9 inch pie plate. Fill with the meat mixture, then top with the other pie crust. Prick the top crust a few times with a knife to vent steam. Crimp around the edges using the tines of the fork, and remove any excess dough. Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crust has browned. Serve by itself, or with a beef gravy.