Conference turris::cooks

    I found this recipe in a newspaper MANY years ago.The taste is not
    as strong as "straight" mincemeat pie but all the mincemeat eaters
    in my family like it.
    
    1 jar (1 lb) prepared mincemeat
    2 C. canned applesause
    1/2 C. light brown sugar,firmly packed
    1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
    1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind 
    1 TBPS. butter
    pastry for 9 inch double crust pie
    
    blend all together except butter and pastry.
    fill pie shell,dot with butter, make lattice top crust.
    bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 min. or until golden brown.
    serve warm or cold.
    
    If you like brandy in your mincemeat I'm sure 1-2 TBSP would
    go fine. Add at begining. To paraphase don't use a brandy
    you wouldn't drink.
    
    Mincemeat can be made from "scratch" but I'ld rather use the
    time to make turkey en brioche 8-)

The problem with most store-bought mince meat is that it contains no
meat, and is usually watery and flavorless.  Here's an authentic old
recipe for mince meat from my great grandmother:

  Mince Meat
     
     8 quarts of cooked meat, chopped  (traditionally this was venison)
     24 quarts of apples, chopped 
     2 lbs of suet
     1 lb of salt pork
     1 quart of sweet cider, boiled
     3 cups of white sugar 
     3 cups of brown sugar 
     1 cup of molasses 
     4 packages of seeded raisins 
     2 packages of seedless raisins 
     3 teaspoons cinnamon
     3 teaspoons cloves
     2 teaspoons nutmeg 
     1 teaspoon allspice 
     1 tablespoon salt 

  Mix all but meat and spices.  Boil 20 minutes then add meat and spices.
  Cook slow on back of stove.


If I were making this today, I'd scale down the size of the recipe, use
beef shank or neck for the meat (cooked and shredded), omit the fats
(suet and salt pork), and season to taste. A dash of Brandy (Cognac)
or Applejack (Calvados) would add a nice touch.

    I use Borden's mincemeat from a jar and Mott's applesause from a 
    jar , neither product has "standing liquid" in the jars and the
    texture of the finished product works for me. Not as firm as custard
    pie , about as soft as an apple pie maybe. The lattice top on the pie
    may help too? As for the brandy, well I don't think 2 TBSPs of an
    alcohol based product is going to make much difference in a pie
    cooked 35 min. or so in a hot oven. 
    	While real mincemeat pie does have meat .. alot of mincemeat pies
    don't. There are alot of diferent ways to do things. I wish I had
    checked my Fanny Farmer cookbook , I bet she has another way to do
    this. There is no one way to make mincemeat pie.  

    
    real mincemeat has meat? I think I'll abstain from that one - all the
    recipes I checked do not. One (I forget which) stated that originally
    the term mincemeat was an "ironic joke" - mincemeat was made from fruit
    "scrumped" (ie stolen) plus some spices to add flavour. The
    meat-bearing recipes came later when people took the name literally and
    added meat to the old recipes.
    
    In any event we'll probably never know - the dish dates back to
    medieval days and I don't believe there are any comprehensive recipes
    (certainly not that give detailed modern-style lists of ingredients)
    much older than the beginning of the 19th century.
    
    /. Ian .\

    
    
    There are indeed a wide variety of mince meat recipies. New England
    mince meat (as prepared by my family for 100+ years) does indeed
    contain meat, as does an old Amish recipe I found and two recipes from
    cookbooks published early in this century.  If the addition of meat is
    not authentic, it is certainly prevalent.  Many of these call for
    citron and other candied fruits, which I do not care for.
    
    My Mom also makes a 'green tomato mince meat' which uses ground green
    tomatoes and no meat.  It's lighter (both in texture and color) and is
    suprizingly tasty.
    
    I think the trick with mince meat is to experiment to find the
    combination of ingredients and spices that suit your individual taste.
    
    

I use:


	a jar of Cross and Blackwell mincemeat(with pippin apples), 
	2 cups of my own chunky applesauce made from good tart apples,
		3/4 cup brown sugar, and two teaspoons of cinnamon powder     
	    
	A double-shot of brandy (good stuff - E & J will do in a pinch)
	A double-shot of dark rum (excellent or forget it - Bacardi)

put into a deepdish pie (I use 10" pie plate for this pie), using a double
crust.  Cut out several shapes from the top crust (apple shapes).  Bake
for 15 minutes at 425 degrees farenheit and then lower temperature to 350
degrees and bake until crust is golden brown...approx. 30 minutes more.

	Stand back...the tribal members who like mincemeat will kill for
	this!  I have it on good authority from my English friends who
	love this pie so much that I bake a whole pie for them to take home
	AFTER out Thanksgiving feast.

    sound like a great recipe -.1.  i wish i saw it before thanksgiving but
    no need to fret, i think i'll make it at christmas seein' how everyone
    loved the pie i made for thanksgiving.  i did end up making the canned
    version which had rum and brandy in it already.  i believe the name of
    the jar was 'nonsuch' and it was very good.. according to my resident
    mincemeat expert.  this was the first time that i had the pie and did
    enjoy it very much.  i, too, used a double crust and baked at the
    exact temperature stated in the previous reply.  my mom says a more
    golden crust is made with a bit of milk smeared on the top crust but
    she told me that after i made the pie. 
    
    is the can of mincemeat that you talked about -.1 available in your
    normal supermarket?  i hope so.  will look for it this weekend.
    
    thanks again,
    
    cj
    

>    is the can of mincemeat that you talked about -.1 available in your
>    normal supermarket?  i hope so.  will look for it this weekend.
    
In California, all our supermarkets carry a "foreign foods" section.  The
Cross and Blackwell brand Mincemeat is sold in jars and is found there.  I find
it superior to Nonesuch, but then, when I get through with it, it isn't
like the plain stuff from a jar, so any good quality mincemeat will work.    
I particularly like winesap apples for my chunky applesauce.

I know this sounds crazy, but when you get bored with the same old stuffing
recipe, add a jar of mincemeat to the stuffing before you bake it....this
is really tasty, honest!  It goes perfectly with Turkey and Pork.

	Another of D's sneaky kitchen hints for lazy cooks....

    
    If you live in Mass:
    
    Cross and Blackwell mincemeat is available in two varieties in the
    gourmet food section at Julio's liquors (Rte 9, Westboro, MA)
    

    OK, here's the same question again...  How well would this pie travel? 
    Could I make it on the Monday before Thanksgiving without it getting
    soggy?  Would it make it from Massachusetts to Ohio?  :-)
    
    If not, then I'm only making one pie (pecan) and some cookies.
    
    Thanks,
    Cara
    

    Cara, the mincemeat should hold up better than the apple.  

    Given the current weather, I would think you could make both the apple
    and the mincemeat pies, freeze them unbaked, wrap them in newspapers,
    and stick them in the car trunk for the trip - this given that it is
    snowing in east-central Massachusetts at the moment (brrrrrr!).  If it
    looks like the weather next week is going to improve, put the pies in a
    cooler chest with some canned ice - wrap them in ziplok bags first so
    moisture won't condense on them.  You could make the drive from my
    house to Ohio in one real long day or two reasonable days, so, in this
    weather, it shouldn't be hard to keep frozen pies frozen for that
    length of time.  I expect you'd then want to bake them directly rather
    than thawing them first, which might cause some sogginess.  So you'll
    have to watch the pies as they bake and be preapred to cover the edges
    of the crust with aluminum foil if they start to brown too much before
    the filling is cooked.  Have a nice holiday!
    
    /Charlotte

    Cara,
    	Here's an alternative & one of my favorites. I love mincemeat.
    	instead of a mincemeat pie you could make mincemeat cookies. They
    	are simple to make. To travel, though you may want to make up the
    	cookie batter ahead of time and cook them when you arrive. A great
    	thing to do to keep the kids (if any) busy.
    	The recipe:
    	*Use your basic sugar cookie recipe
    	*Roll the dough into balls (about the size of a donut hole +/-) and
    	 place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
    	*Make a thumb print type cavity in the center of the ball (you can
    	 make the cavity larger by pinching out the edges).
    	*Place a spoonful or more mincemeat into each cavity and top with a
    	 piece of maraschino cherry - optional
    	*bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes or until golden
    	 brown.
    	This has been a big hit at my house around the holidays and I
   	always bring them when I go visiting. Not everyone likes the pie
    	but they LOVE the cookies. It's just enough without being over-
    	whelming.
    
    	Another alternative that I've been using is:
    	Use the same cookie recipe but instead of making balls take 1/2
    	the batter and spread out on a cookie sheet type pan(size depends
    	on how much batter you have). Then spread on the mincemeat, as
    	thick or as thin as you like. Then spread the remaining cookie
    	dough on top. Seal the edges as best as possible. Bake in the oven
    	350 degrees for about 12-15 min or until golden brown (not sure on	
    	the amount of time. When they're golden brown, they're done). Now
    	you have mincemeat squares. Note: you may want to put some foil on	
    	the bottom of the oven to catch any drippings.
    	
        Good luck & have a great holiday
    	Alan
    

    Thanks for all the replies.  
    
    I still need to call my husband's aunt and uncle -- they're the ones
    hosting the Thanksgiving -- to see if mincemeat would be a good idea! 
    I have the feeling it won't be because my husband's family is not big
    on "traditional" goodies like mincemeat.  I found this out the hard
    way:  every year I end up eating the stuff I bring (pumpkin
    gingerbread, zucchini bread, snickerdoodle cookies) by myself while the
    rest of them devour a store-bought cake coated with Crisco frosting! 
    How depressing!  They prefer to be innundated with sugary stuff so
    a pecan pie and some other cookie (probably with chocolate in it)
    will suit them just fine.
    
    Cara
    

    A correction to my previous reply (.16)
    
    It's not a sugar cookie that's used, it's a butter cookie. I was
    wondering about that & had to ck it out. Sure enough, I was wrong.
    The recipe follows:
    
    	1 C butter 		1/2 C sugar
    	1 egg			1 tsp vanilla
    	2 1/4 C flour		1 tsp salt	
    	1/2 C chopped walnuts-optional
    	Marischino cherries-halved
    Cream together the butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Blend in egg,
    vanilla & walnuts. Stir in flour & salt.
    Roll out as stated in previous note
    Bake in 400 degree oven (not 350 as I stated before) for 10-12 mins.
    Yields approx - 3.5 doz. cookies
    
    Pardon the error, the mind ain't what it use to be.
    Alan
    
    	

a solution would be to bake a top-crust-only apple pie or even a baked
partially with top crust and then break the crust into the filling
and finish baking dish called a pandowdy....both are filled with 
traditional pie filling
and then covered on the top only with a standard crust.  I use the
top-crust only solution for deep-dish apple pie that is really DEEP...
I use a square pan rather than the traditional pie pan.  If feeding
a crowd, both solutions make it easier to bake one item that will
feed the needed number of folks.  and, both help you avoid he age-old
problem of soggy bottom crusts.

the pandowndy is made just as described.  cover the top with a slightly
thick layer of pie crust and bake as for apple pie...when the apples
are well-started (maybe 35 -40 minutes), break the crust into the
filling, stirring all around very well, and sprinkle the top liberally
with sugar, cinnamon, and butter pats.  Bake for another 30 minutes
or until it is nicely bubbling.  Serve either cold or warmed in the
oven (or micro) with either ice cream, heavy sweet cream, or whipped
topping....they will love it.

both solutions work for any fruit filling.

    Re: .17, if that's the stuff you end up eating yourself,
    please come to MY house for thanksgiving!!!! :)
    
    P.

    Modern Mince Pie (90's Version -- Meatless)
    
    3 1/2 pounds small pippin apples (about 7), peeled, cored chopped
      1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes
      1/2 cup golden raisins
      1/2 cup dried currants
      1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
      1/4 cup unsulfured (light) molasses
      1/4 cup brandy
      1/4 cup orange juice
      1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
        2 tablespoons dark rum
        1 tablespoon grated orange peel
        1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
        1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
      1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
      1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
      1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
          pinch of salt
    
        2 Buttermilk Pie Crust Dough disks (recipe below)
    
        Milk
    
    Combine first 17 ingredients in heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven. 
    Cook over low heat until apples are very tender and mixture is thick,
    stirring occassionally, about 1 1/2 hours.  Cool filling completely. 
    (Can be prepared up to 1 week ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.)
    
    Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400.  Roll out 1
    pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 13 inch diameter round
    (about 1/8 inch thick).  Roll up dough on rolling pin and transfer to
    9 inch diameter glass pie plate.  Gently press into place.  Trim edges
    of crust, leaving 3/4 inch overhang.  Fold overhang under crust so that
    crust is flush with edge of pie pan.  Crimp edges with fork to make
    decorative border.  Spoon filling into crustlined pan, gently pressing
    flat.
    
    Roll our second disk on lightly floured surface to 13 inch round.  Cut
    out about 28 three-inch leaves using cookie cutter.  Press leaves
    lightly with tines of fork to form vein pattern.  Brush bottom of 1
    leaf with milk.  Place leaf atop mince, overlapping crust slightly and
    pressing to adhere to crust.  Continue placing leaves atop pie in
    concecentric circles, overlapping edges slightly until top of pie is
    covered.  Brush crust with milk.  Bake until crust is golden brown and
    mince bubbles, about 40 minutes.  
    
    BUTTERMILK PIE CRUST DOUGH (makes two crusts)
    
    2 1/2 cups unbleached  all purpose flour
        2 tablespoons sugar
        1 teaspoon salt
      1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unalted  butter,  diced
      1/2 cup chilled  solid vegetable shortening
      1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
    
    Combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl.  Add butter and
    shortening.  Cut in using hands or pastry blender until mixture
    resembles coarse meal.  Add buttermilk and stir with fork until moist
    clumps form.  (Dough can also be prepared in processor.  Using on/off
    turns, cut butter and shortening into dry ingredients until coarse
    meal forms.  Add buttermilk and process just until moist clumps form). 
    Press together to form dough.  Divide dough in half.  Gather dough into
    balls; flatten into disks.  Wrap separately and chill 1 hour.  (Can
    be prepared ahead.  Refrigerate 1 week or freeze 1 month.  Let dough
    stand at room temperature to soften slightly before using.)