So are the meat pies fresh, Mrs. Lovett?
By: Michael Redmond
Some stories are so chilling one hopes they are not actually true, but figments of some writer’s imagination. Such is not the case with Sweeney Todd, "the demon barber of Fleet Street," according to early 19th century sources.
Stephen Sondheim’s enormously successful "Sweeney Todd" (1979), with book by Hugh Wheeler, is a musical based upon a play, which was itself based upon a Victorian penny-dreadful.
But the story of the murderous London barber and his partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett, a baker who disposes of the evidence by means of her o-so-tasty meat pies, dates back to an actual case that was tried in 1801. Mrs. Lovett escaped justice by poisoning herself. Mr. Todd was hanged by the neck until dead.
It certainly appears that The Princeton Festival, which will be mounting a production of "Sweeney Todd" in June, is approaching the project with much the same waggish humor as Sondheim and Wheeler exhibited in creating a musical as funny as it is ghoulish. (Or should that be "goulash"?)
To help promote its inaugural season, The Princeton Festival dreamed up The "Sweeney Todd" Meat Pie Contest, a cookoff in search of the best meat pie recipe, as adjudicated by Laura Mangone, chef of Chambers Walk Cafe & Catering in Lawrenceville.
The winner, Ray Kinlock of Solebury, Pa., was announced during Communiversity. A graphic designer and amateur cook, Mr. Kinlock took the prize with his recipe for "June Cleaver’s Sweeney Todd Meat Pies."
Finalists were Barbara Hamilton of Princeton, for her "Post Roast Pie (Pastie)" recipe, exhibiting a Scottish heartiness, and Ina Youyoumdjian of Lawrenceville, whose "Meat Beoreg" recipe evokes the mountains of the Caucasus.
"I thought the contest was great fun, and that all of the finalists provided great recipes," said Laura Mangone of Chambers Walk, official caterer of The Princeton Festival.
"Mr. Kinlock’s presentation was particularly wonderful because he really tied his submission to the theme. He presented the little pies in an evidence box, labeled as the police would, including ‘Suspect: Mrs. Lovett,’" Ms. Mangone said.
The Princeton Festival’s production of "Sweeney Todd" will be presented July 3, 9, 15 and 16 at the Kirby Arts Center of the Lawrenceville School. Artistic director is Richard Tang Yuk, who will conduct. Ellen Douglas Schlaefer will direct.
For a complete Princeton Festival calendar, including chamber music by Concordia Chamber Players; a lecture by crime writer Mark Gribben; education programs; picnic menus, and ticket information, visit www.princetonfestival.org or call (800) 559-4849.
JUNE CLEAVER’S
MEAT PIE RECIPE
Ray Kinlock of Solebury, Pa.
1 pound ground beef (or may substitute 1 pound of chicken, turkey or a blend of meats)
6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
¾ cup of bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Honey, to taste *
Cumin, to taste *
1 package of Crescent rolls
Port wine or sherry
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a pan, brown the chopped bacon. In the same pan, brown the chopped onion. Add the ground meat and cook until done. Reserve the mixture. Let mixture cool.
Deglaze the pan with some sherry or port. Add cumin and honey, to taste. Add deglaze and two beaten eggs to the mixture. Stir in the breadcrumbs.
Line cupcake wells with Crescent Roll dough. Overlap the dough when necessary and leave excess dough hanging over the edges.
Add the meat mixture to just below the top of each cupcake well. Fold the excess dough over the top of the meat pie mix.
Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops begin to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.
*Use different spices for different cultural accents.
POST ROAST PIE (Pastie)
Barbara Hamilton of Princeton
Leftover beef roast, diced (you can use stew meat or hamburger)
Vegetable leftovers from roast
½ rutabaga
Pastry for double-crust pie
If you are starting from scratch (not from leftover beef roast), brown the meat and season as you would a roast. Drain.
Peel and cube the rutabaga. Boil until tender. If you do not have leftover vegetables from your roast, then add 1 or 2 medium potations, diced. Boil vegetables until tender. Peas or carrots can be added to the vegetables. If using frozen peas, add them to the mixture without cooking; they will cook in the oven.
Mix vegetables and beef.
Divide the pie dough into quarters. Roll each quarter out. Place about one quarter of the meat/vegetable mixture on each quarter of dough and fold one side over the other. Seal the edges by pressing down with a fork. Cut two or three slashes in the top of each pie. Brush tops with water and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until crust is golden.
Serve with gravy and coleslaw or raw vegetables.
MEAT BEOREG (MEAT PIE)
Ina Youyoumdjian of Lawrenceville
1 pound ground lean beef or lamb
1 medium onion, minced
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
Box of fillo dough
Melted butter
Saute the onions in a little oil, until wilted. Lightly brown the meat. Add pine nuts and seasonings to the mixture.
Butter the fillo dough piece.
Add a tablespoon of filling. Fold the dough into a triangle or envelope shape.
Place the individual pieces onto a greased baking pan. Brush the individual pieces with an egg wash.
Bake the pies in a 350-degree oven until golden, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

