I've used beetroot pastry to make these Christmas mince pies extra special. You can't taste the beet, but they leave the pastry bright purple!
mince pies
My American readers may be puzzling over this recipe.
Mincemeat mini pies?
Mincemeat contains no meat, but is a spiced, sweet mix of dried fruits and alcohol.
It's rich, it's boozy and delicious. You can even mix it up and try pumpkin mincemeat.
See? You want to get in on this traditional British festive staple - vegetable style.
Mince pies are small pies, filled with mince meat. Perfect at Christmas.
beetroot pastry
For my vegetable spin on mince pies, I've added vibrant beetroot to the pastry.
Pastry is so easy to make in a food processor and now it even has veg - and a nice Christmassy colour.
The flavor of the beets fades away, but stains the pastry a beautiful purple color.
In the UK, mince pies are usually left out on Christmas Eve with a warming glass of brandy or whisky for Father Christmas, and a carrot for Rudolph.
At least with these, Santa will get a little veg to help him deliver his pressies.
I feel that I should admit now that I've lost Christmas.
We moved across the country to a temporary house a few months ago and put half of our belongings in storage until we buy our house (fingers crossed we're in before Xmas!!).
But, erm, well, we appear to have left our tree, decorations, elf on the shelf, stockings and all the other festive paraphernalia in storage containers a half day's drive away.
Oops. My kids are 4 and 2 so keep asking when the elf is coming.
We've borrowed decorations from my mum and just keep hoping that we'll find the elf box.
Oh dear...
Get the recipe for Christmas Mince Pies with Beetroot Pastry
Christmas Mince Pies with Beetroot Pastry
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz (100g) raw beetroot, peeled
- 1 ¾ cups (225g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ½ cup (115g) cold butter cut into cubes
- ⅓ cup (40g) powdered icing sugar
- pinch of salt
- A few tablespoons of very cold water
- 1 cup (250g) mincemeat (I used my Pumpkin Mincemeat)
Instructions
- Whiz the beetroot in a food processor until fine. Set aside in a bowl.
- In the food processor, pulse the flour, butter, icing sugar and salt until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the beetroot and pulse to combine. Add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together in a ball. You don’t want it too wet.
- Press the dough into a flat disc shape, to aid rolling later, cover in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least half an hour or even overnight.
- Lightly grease a bun or muffin tray. Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
- Take half of the dough from the fridge and roll it out thinly. Cut circles slightly larger than the holes in the tray using a cookie cutter or the edge of a glass. Cut out shapes, such as stars, to top the mince pies. Gently press the circles into the tray, fill ¾ full with the mincemeat and top with the star shaped pastry.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until they just begin to brown. Remove from the tray and cool on a wire rack. When the tray is cool, repeat with the remaining pastry.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Sarah Reid, CNP (@jo_jo_ba)
do you just process the beet until minced, or puree it? If its minced, won't it leave lumps in the pastry - but if pureed, won't it be too liquid? Want to try this (I have a gazillion beets in the garden) but dont want to mess it up!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, whiz the beets until they're a fine crumb. They don't need to be pureed, but as you say, you don't want large chunks. I hope that helps!
Deena Kakaya
So pretty! I, like Kellie am not a fan of traditional mincemeat even though I was born here. I have got to try out that pumpkin filling! X
Kate Hackworthy
I find it normally quite heavy, so I thought I'd lighten it up a bit with a load of pumpkin and it worked really well!
kellie anderson
What a truly striking idea, and I love the sound of your pumpkin mincemeat. I'm away to look that up! Not keen on trad mincemeat (I think you have to be born here to really appreciate it) so tweaks of it always interest me.
Kate Hackworthy
So British, isn't it? So bizarre and heavy usually - but I love mincemeat as it just shouts: CHRISTMAS!
Lisa
I had mince pies a few years ago when I was in the UK and I love them! What a great idea to add beetroot into them!
Hope you'll find the elves soon!
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Lisa. They're such a great British Christmas tradition! No sign of the elf this year, sadly. Oops!
Sally
So beautiful. These are an amazing creation and really beautiful.
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks so much, Sally. I was pleased that they turned out so vibrant!
tamingtwins
Oh I love the fact that these are something festive and all natural. I have a tendency at this time of year to colour far too many sweet treats with red and green E numbers (bad mother).These are so pretty, thanks for sharing with #festivefoodfriday. I hope that the elf appears soon and that you're into your own house in the next couple of weeks.
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Sarah.I love experimenting with veg as natural food colourings. 🙂
Julie's Family Kitchen
The colour of the pastry is incredible. Love them. #FestiveFoodFriday Happy Christmas. x
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Julie. I love how vegetables can make food so vibrantly coloured!
Elizabeth
What a super idea! Alas, beetroot is no longer appearing in my veg box 🙁
Kate Hackworthy
Shame, maybe next year, Elizabeth!
Ann from vancouver
I love both the red & green pastry, very festive & natural colour. Good idea!
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Ann, it's so nice to use natural, healthy, colouring through veggies!
Dragons And Fairy Dust
These look so festive with the red pastry. Great idea
Kate Hackworthy
THanks! It's an easy way to colour them naturally. 🙂
Manish
I absolutely loved these pastry. Like the idea of beetroot. fantastic..looks yummy too..!!
Thanks!!
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Manish. They were as tasty as they are bright!
Katie
Very festive and eye catching. Maybe the elf was needed by father Christmas this year for a secret mission.
Kate Hackworthy
Perfect - that's what I'll tell my kids, Katie!
Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla
I'm not a bit fan of mince pies but those look really good, especially that they have my favourite beetroots in them! 🙂
Kate Hackworthy
I love beetroots as well, Margot - raw, cooked, sweet, savoury!
kavey
These look so festive. Hope you find the elf box!
Kate Hackworthy
Still no elf box, Kavey - uh oh!
ciaraattwell
I absolutely LOVE the idea of putting beetroot in the pastry. So clever! #festivefoodfridays
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Ciara! It's so festive, isn't it? 🙂