Homemade Mincemeat
Makes enough for 1 pie and 6 mini tarts

Served with Hard Sauce on the side, Mince Pie in various forms has been the Thanksgiving dessert favorite in my family forever.

Mincemeat is a classic sweet and savory British preserve that has been around since the Middle Ages. Originally it was made with salted beef sweetbreads, kidneys and their connective fat (suet), but gradually the meat was omitted leaving just suet. Now mincemeat is a sweet preserve made with apples, candied citrus, dark and golden raisins, almonds and spices, often without suet.

Cross & Blackwell’s mincemeat used to be available in most grocery stores. As it became harder and harder to find I started making my own with more ingredients and better flavor.

The alcohol cooks off in the oven, so mincemeat can be frozen for several months. I use one quart for Thanksgiving pie and freeze the rest in half pint containers to use for tarts at Christmas and on cold winter nights.

Hints

1. No raiding the bird feeder to get your suet. Mincemeat and birdseed suets are different.
2. Order shredded beef suet from a specialty supermarket or a meat market; it may take a few inquiries to find a source. For this posting I used some fat off a piece of pork belly I had in the freezer, and it worked really well. I suspect that salt pork (soak in water and refrigerate for 24 hours, then rinse thoroughly) would work also. Or be like Cross & Blackwell and skip the suet.
3. I usually add dried plums with citrus, fresh or frozen cranberries or Craisins to the fruit mix. Dark rum can be substituted for brandy.
4. Because straight mincemeat is so rich, I often make half apple or pear and half mincemeat in pies or tarts. I will post a Mincemeat Cheesecake Pie in the coming week. A richer than imaginable combination, it makes wonderful winter holiday mini tarts.

Ingredients

2 oz. shredded beef suet
2 tart apples, cored and chopped with skin on
6 oz. dried small black currants
6 oz. golden raisins
6 oz. raisins
4 oz. dried plums with citrus
2 tsp. fresh orange zest, chopped
2 tsp. fresh lemon zest, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup candied ginger, chopped
½ cup slivered almonds
½ tsp. each: ground nutmeg, allspice and cardamom
¼ cup brandy or dark rum

Procedure

1. Mix all ingredients except brandy in a non-reactive bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours or up to 3 days.
2. Transfer to a non-metal casserole dish, cover and bake at 225º for 2 hours. Remove and cool to room temperature, covered. Stir in the brandy and use as pie or tart filling or transfer to a glass or plastic container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. It also may be frozen for up to 6 months.
3. Before adding mincemeat to a tart or pie, add 2 tbs. brandy per pint of mincemeat.