Apple Cinnamon Mincemeat Pie

Apple Cinnamon Mincemeat Pie
4.5 (2 ratings)
Introduce yourself and any holiday guest to traditional dark fruit flowers using this part apple, part mincemeat pie. This recipe by JeanMarie Brownson appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Prep Time
45
minutes
Cook Time
1
hour
Servings
8
Apple cinnamon mincemeat pie
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cup unbleached flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold
  • 1/2 cup transfat-free vegetable shortening, frozen
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 pound firm crisp apples, such as empire, mutsu or honeycrisp
  • grated zest from 1 small lemon
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup bottled mincemeat
  • 2 tablespoon half-and-half
  • coarse sugar for sprinkling
  • cinnamon sweetened whipped cream, or rum raisin ice cream
Directions
  1. Put flour, sugar and salt into a food processor.
  2. Pulse to mix well.
  3. Cut butter and shortening into small pieces and sprinkle them over the flour mixture.
  4. Use on/off pulses with the food processor to blend the fats into the flour. The mixture will look like coarse crumbs.
  5. Put ice cubes into about ½ cup water and let the water chill.
  6. Remove the ice cubes and drizzle about 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the flour mixture.
  7. Briefly pulse the machine just until the mixture gathers into a dough.
  8. Dump the mixture out onto a sheet of wax paper.
  9. Gather into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten the balls into thick disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Dough will keep in the refrigerator for several days.)
  10. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
  11. Have a deep 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate and a baking sheet ready.
  12. Roll out the larger disk of dough between two sheets of floured wax paper into a thin circle about 14 inches in diameter.
  13. Carefully fold the dough in half, then place it in the pie dish, Unfold it and fit it over the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish.
  14. Trim the overhang to leave about ½ inch all around the pie dish.
  15. Refrigerate.
  16. Roll the other piece of dough between 2 sheets of floured wax paper into an 11-inch circle and place it (still between the wax paper) on the baking sheet and refrigerate it.
  17. For the filling, peel the apples, and quarter them through the stem end.
  18. Remove the core.
  19. Cut each quarter into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
  20. Put the slices into a large bowl, and add the lemon zest.
  21. Stir in sugar, cornstarch, tapioca, cinnamon and salt.
  22. Mix well.
  23. Gently stir in the mincemeat.
  24. Let stand, about 10 minutes.
  25. Spoon the apple mixture and accumulated juices into the dough-lined pie dish.
  26. Pat the apples down to compact them a bit.
  27. Carefully place the top crust over the fruit.
  28. Use your fingers to press together the top and bottom crusts, trimming as needed.
  29. Use a fork to make a decorative edge.
  30. Brush the top of the pie and the edges with the half-and-half.
  31. Sprinkle everything generously with the coarse sugar.
  32. Use the fork to gently poke steam vents into the top of the pie in several spots.
  33. Bake pie at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
  34. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
  35. Now slide the baking sheet under the pie to catch any drips.
  36. Continue baking at 325 degrees until the top crust is richly browned, 30 to 40 minutes more. (Use foil strips to cover the edges of the pie if they brown too quickly.)
  37. Cool pie on wire rack until barely warm.
  38. Serve warm with cinnamon sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.