Holiday Traditions: Mince Pie in the Summer
Now, I love this idea. Our winter is actually summer in Australia. A December day is cold for for us but spent lounging on the beach in Australia, eating BBQ and having picnics with the family. That idea makes me laugh.
In Australia mince pies are a very popular dish served during the holiday season.
When you think of mince pies, you automatically think of meat, but these mince pies actually don’t have any -- They are sweet! They’re little Christmas pies filled with a fruit mince which usually contains dried fruits like raisins, currants and sultanas. The dried fruit gets mixed with candied zest, butter, apples, brown sugar, brandy and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. All the ingredients get finely minced and placed in a short-crust pastry.
These mini pies can be found in homes all over Australia during the holiday season.
Eden Grinshpan graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in London with the “Grande Diplome” in both Pastry and Cuisine. After graduating she went to India to volunteer with different organizations, one of them being an orphanage called Ramanas Garden. Here she came up with the idea of raising money for the orphanage by re-opening a café, which had not been in operation for some time, and teaching the children the basics of culinary cuisine. After returning to New York City, Eden enrolled in a management program at The Institute of Culinary Education before working at the bakery, Babycakes. Eden is the co-owner of EthNicitY Productions, and hosts Eden Eats, a traveling show to find global cuisine in cities across the US. Check out Eden’s blog, Eden Eats, and follow Eden on Facebook and @EdenEats on Twitter.
