Name: Jay Reifel's Winning Mince Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: For the mincemeat (make a day ahead):; 1 cup mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas); 1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped; 1/3 cup candied citrus peel, finely diced; 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated; 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (vegetarian) or 3 tbsp shredded suet (traditional); 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed; Zest and juice of 1 orange; Zest and juice of 1 lemon; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1/4 tsp allspice; 3 tbsp brandy or dark rum; Pinch of fine sea salt; For the shortcrust pastry:; 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1/4 tsp fine sea salt; 10 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed; 1 large egg yolk; 3-4 tbsp ice water; 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk, for egg wash; Powdered sugar, for dusting

Jay Reifel runs The Village Table and Edible History supper club and a pop-up called Knives + Fire — a small ecosystem of dining concepts that exists outside the brick-and-mortar restaurant economy entirely. He is, by trade, the kind of chef the Beat Bobby Flay format was actually built to surface. Most viewers had not heard of him before this episode. Most viewers will not forget him after.

He beat Bobby with mince pie — the British holiday pastry that, properly made, has fruit, spice, suet, and the kind of slow soak that takes weeks. Bobby's pie, per the broadcast, was "more savory than sweet." Mince pie is supposed to be both, with the sweet winning by a nose. Reifel's was. Bobby's was not.