I’ve have tried many Walker’s Shortbread products but I haven’t tried those Walker’s mince pies.
Some bakeries in Canada bake fresh mince tarts, and include them in their cookie assortments.
Mincemeat is sold in jars here, ready to use in pies or tarts.
We used to have 2 main Canadian brands, ED Smith and President’s Choice, which were discontinued 3 years ago.
Now, these imports from the UK are the easiest to find.
Mrs H is the baker of the couple. But mince pies always fall to me to make. I did make my own mincemeat one year but it was too much of a faff and now buy a good quality one (enhancing it by a couple of big splashes of brandy when I buy the jars in November. Pastry is a sweet shortcrust, incorporating orange zest and brought together using orange juice instead of water. I make two dozen, freezing them in fours (that’s two each - just right with a coffee or tea).
Lots of use for any leftover mincemeat. Microwave it to an almost sauce consistency and pour over ice cream. Or, even better, this Nigel Slater recipe for mincemeat hotcakes
Regulars may remember that I’m the author of a book about food during the Great War. As with my other books, I heavily relied on memoirs, diaries, etc. One such was written by a guy called Ridley Sheldon - a vicar’s son from Salford. He enlisted into the army in August 1914, joining a local Territorial battalion (similar to an American National Guard unit). By Christmas, the battalion was in Egypt on “Empire defence” duties. Sheldon recalls that he was sharing a tent with eleven other men and, as often the case, he received a food parcel from home. It included nine mince pies. His dilemma was how to share out nine pies amongst twelve men (without cutting them of course). His solution was to put twelve pieces of paper into a hat, with three of them marked with a cross. Each man drew a paper and, if marked with the cross, they didnt get a pie. But they did get an extra slice of Christmas cake .
Metro supermarkets have Crosse and Blackwell rum and brandy mincemeat. I prefer it to Robertson’s as it’s less sweet, but I haven’t bought it in years.
I love mincemeat tarts, but it bugs me that the tops are dusted with granulated sugar (albeit fine), as I dislike the feel of raw sugar in the teeth. You can’t just brush it off as some of it stays.
My aunt makes them every year, both mincemeat and pastry.
I would scoop out the mincemeat (because I don’t like dried fruit) and leave it for her, and just eat the syrup-laced pastry. Lovely.
Two dozen mince pies made and in the freezer.
Also, half a dozen mince pasties. Mince pasties, I hear you ask. Yep. There was some leftover pastry. Both of the pie tins were in the oven. So, I just rolled it out, stamped out three inch circles, filled it with some mincemeat, folded it over and crimped together. 15 minutes at 200C. Sampled one, of course. And it was bloody delicious.
Also made today and frozen - the Xmas Day bread sauce.
So, only a terrine to make now. Nigel Slater recipe. That also gets frozen in slices but making will have to wait a few days as there is now absolutely no space in the freezer.
HO, HO, HO
We have this a Thanksgiving too, but have never thought to feeeze it. Huh! Do you thin it with milk when you reheat?
I’m almost done with my shopping, which is funny because I’m only doing “loaded” stockings for two grown-up boys (ie stockings and small presents), but that has somehow become more difficult than full Christmas shopping for them and a bunch of other family and friends in the old days 
.
Now on to sorting and packing, which I have been procrastinating about for no good reason.
Yes. Or cream or a knob of butter. Just to thin it down a bit while it reheats. Too stodgy otherwise. Love bread sauce - it’s bland and surprisingly conforting.
I’ve decided to leave my procrastination for another day.
It’s a hot favorite for us — we have doubled and quadrupled the recipe so there’s enough for leftovers.
Interestingly, all the ladies in the family love it, but the guys prefer brown gravy (the ladies eat that too, so I don’t understand why it’s an either/or).
My aunt adds a pinch of herbes de Provence these days.
This is a “both” household.
We’ve done a slightly new recipe this year. In the past, it’s been stud an onion with cloves, bring milk up to the boil then turn it off, leaving the onion to do its work till the milk is cool., then adding the bread J’s new recipe involved adding chopped onion, cloves and a bay leaf to the milk (recipe also called for thyme but J didnt want to use it), simmering for 20 minutes. Then straining it and immediately adding the bread. Tastes fine with a bit more robust flavour
Novelty croissants at Little Pebbles Café in Toronto’s Little Italy
We’ve been out festive urban foraging. No not real foraging. Just visiting a few shops in a quite foody neighbourhood.
Cheesemongers - came away with Gubeen. That just for us and deffo not for Xmas Day. Ho, Ho, Ho, NOT. And Montgomery Cheddar and Baron Bigod (a Brie recipe cheese made in Suffolk).
Asian shop (name unknown) - enormous pomegranate for just under two quid ( for sprinkling over festive salads. Long-life paneer ready meal (tend to be a quick & easy lunch, or an easy accompaniment to something like a homemade curry). Langley Farm yoghurts - different flavours to their stock in mainstream supermarkets
Bakery & deli - interesting pasta, sausage rolls (eaten for lunch), slices of meatloaf, Polish chocolates
For the first time, I ordered frozen seafood to be shipped from Vancouver Island, and frozen seafood to be shipped from the Maritimes.
Both packages arrived yesterday. I cleared out the freezer to make space. I plan to use the lobster on Xmas Eve.
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My uncle sent a big, generous basket of assorted treats, mostly chocolate and commercial cookies, as well as some shelf stable cheese and crackers.
I thought it was funny that these bacon and habanero Ministry of Snack crackers, which seem like a cracker made for the Canadians and American market, are product of Ukraine
Saturday evening mass MUST begin on time!
