Mincemeat

Or, How Not To Poison Your Friends

First you have to find suet. I don't want to go over what I went through last year trying to find suet at a grocery store that had it the year before. Almost had an aneurysm. I suppose one could use butter, but where's the fun in that?

I have used the following recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook successfully so far. It makes twice what I could can at one time, so I would start with halving it. 

 The Fannie Farmer Mincemeat recipe:

Makes 20 pints/10 quarts – unless you do the math to halve or quarter it.

In a large pot, cook slowly until sugar and citron melt:

4 lbs chopped lean beef
2 lbs chopped beef suet
3 lbs dark brown sugar
2 cups molasses
2 quarts cider
3 lbs dried currants
4 lbs seeded raisins
½ lb chopped citron

Add and cook until tender:

3 lbs apples – peeled, cored, sliced

Add and cook 15 minutes more, stirring frequently:

1 quart brandy
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon mace
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons salt

Spoon into clean, hot jars leaving 1” headspace. Close the jars and process at 10 lbs pressure for 20 minutes. The book claims it will store indefinitely like this (and it will flavor through more with a bit of time) but I see online that 20 minutes is inadequate and although I’ve not yet given anyone botulism, canning meat or other low-acid foods takes 90 minutes. Check with an expert before doing any canning.

The We Ate All the Pies mince tarts

Now for the tarts. I got this recipe from the Standard Issue website, which is no longer. It's in Brit, so you'll have to convert. I have a kitchen scale, so that's no problem. If you're on the internet, which you must be to be reading this, you can find a site that will convert the temperature. I have that somewhere, but not on me right now.

I use muffin tins, which are larger than the ones described here, so the recipe only makes 12 (2 sets of tins) and uses less than a quart of the mincemeat, so there will be some left over. The tart pastry is very delicate, so take care in decanting the little pies.

225g cold butter diced

350g plain flour

100g golden caster sugar (or regular sugar)

280g mincemeat

salt

1 small egg (I don't bother with this or the icing sugar)

icing sugar, to dust

1.     To make the pastry, rub 225g cold, diced butter into 350g plain flour, then mix in 100g golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Combine the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later.

2.     Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole. Spoon 280g mincemeat into the pies.

3.     Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies. Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal – you don’t need to seal them with milk or egg as they will stick on their own. (The pies may now be frozen for up to 1 month).

4.     Beat 1 small egg and brush the tops of the pies. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. To serve, lightly dust with icing sugar. They will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.

The Christmas Bread

 This is a simplified version of a recipe for a coffee cake that can thence be converted to the Christmas bread. The original recipe (possible from Southern Living) was a bit complicated, with the "instead" and "addition of" stuff. The original also called for "shortening" but, for heavenssake use butter because we know what's in butter, don't we? 

Norwegian Christmas Bread


1 1/2 c milk, scalded 
1 1/4 t salt 

1 c sugar

1 package of yeast

6 c sifted flour (will probably need more)

1/4 t allspice

1/4 t mace

1 t crushed cardamom

 3/4 c butter,melted

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 c of seedless raisins

3/4 c diced citron

To the hot milk add salt and 2 T of the sugar.   

When lukewarm, add the yeast, 3 c of the flour, and the spices.  Mix well and set covered in a warm place to rise to double its bulk.   

Add remaining sugar, the shortening, eggs, raisins and citron.  Add the flour, mixing to a soft but somehow not sticky dough.  Knead and place covered in a greased bowl to rise to double its bulk.  Shape into loaves and place in greased pans.  Again let rise to double its bulk. 

Bake at 350 degrees about 50 minutes.  Makes two loaves.