Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
If you are looking for an authentic mincemeat pie filling recipe, this is what you’ve found today.
Today I will show you how we make mincemeat a favorite in Scotland during the holidays so it’s ready 4 weeks before making pies.
Holiday Spice Flavours In A Jar Ready For Your Mince Pie
Before we get into the pie part, we must start with the mincemeat filling, which takes weeks to cure.
This is what I will show you how to prepare today.
It’s the second week of November, and I’m prepping for Christmas before all the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping gets underway in our house.
I love Christmas and miss spending it with our families in Scotland since we’ve moved to Canada.
We still Skype on Christmas day, but it’s not the same as seeing them in person.
Christmas is still a big celebration in our house as it’s time spent with good food and friends who are more like family.
Over the next few weeks, I will bring you some family favorite holiday recipes I always make at Christmas.
If you missed Mr. CBB’s Holiday recipes from last year, such as his no-bake peanut butter balls, snowballs, and festive coconut balls, you can start baking them ahead of time and freezing them.
Mincemeat Pies For Christmas
One of my personal holiday favorites is mincemeat pies.
They only come out at Christmas time, and there is so much history behind how they came about.
Mince pies are an essential part of the British culinary tradition, enjoyed throughout the Christmas holidays and then rarely, if ever, offered again until the following year.
What Is Mincemeat?
Good question and one that many people ponder because they simply don’t know the answer.
Well, I’ll tell you today it’s a delicious blend of goodness that you will love.
Originally, mincemeat was, as its name implies, made from minced (ground) meat as a way of preserving the last scraps of meat culled in the autumn so that it would last throughout the winter.
How Do You Make Mincemeat?
The traditional mixture which also included fresh and dried fruits, spices, and sugar, was simmered for several days and then stored in sealed jars in the cellar or an outhouse.
In my mincemeat pie filling recipe, you will find:
- currants
- sultanas (golden raisins)
- seedless raisins
- cooking apples
- candied citrus peel chopped
- blanched almonds, chopped
- shredded suet, or vegetarian suet, or margarine
- dark brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- ground allspice
- ground ginger
- grated nutmeg
- Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
- Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
- brandy or port
Today’s mincemeat no longer contains meat or poultry, except in suet.
Those who don’t wish to eat animal fats can substitute it with vegetarian suet or margarine.
I don’t make homemade suet as I buy it pre-made, but if you are wondering how to make beef suet, you can find recipes all over the web.
How Do You Use Mincemeat?
This mixture can be used to fill tray bakes (bars) such as mincemeat slices, mincemeat cookies, open-lattice flans, or pies, spooned into partly baked individual tart shells topped with fancy cut-out pastry shapes (those are my favorites with a cuppa tea of course) or when baked and cooled, drizzled with glazed icing.
I usually dust mine when cooled with icing sugar for that snow effect!
So, without further ado, here is my recipe for the first part of mincemeat pies.
Since the mincemeat has to sit for 4 weeks, I will give you the second part closer to the time when we make the double-crusted pastry and have the final finished individual pies in a flaky pastry shell.
Just in time for Christmas!
How To Make Christmas Mincemeat
- Mature time: 4 weeks
- Quantity: approx x6 250ml jars
- Recipe Type:Holiday
- Author:Nicola Don
- Prep time:20 mins
- Total time:20 mins
Ingredients
- 8oz/11/3 cups currants
- 8oz/1 1/3 cups sultanas (golden raisins)
- 1lb/2 2/3 cups seedless raisins
- 1lb cooking apples peeled, cored and chopped
- 8oz/1 1/3 candied citrus peel chopped
- 4oz/ 2/3 cup blanched almonds, chopped
- 8oz/1 cup shredded suet, or vegetarian suet, or margarine
- 8oz/ 1 cup soft dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
- Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
- About 2/3 cup brandy or port
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the brandy or port in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir well, cover the bowl with a cloth, and set aside in a cool place overnight.
- The following day, stir in enough brandy or port to make a mixture moist enough to drop from a spoon.
- Spoon the mixture into sterilized jars and store in a cool, dry place.
- This will take about four weeks to mature before it is ready to use in mincemeat pies.
Additional Mincemeat Notes
You will need storage jars to keep the mincemeat in until it matures and is ready to use to make the individual mincemeat pies.
Depending on the size of pies you want to make 1 jar will make 1 pie or 1 dozen pies if you use 1 ½ teaspoon of mixture in each one.
This mincemeat recipe would make a great homemade present for anyone, even if you add some bows and ribbon and present it in the jars as filling.
Keep me posted if you make your mincemeat, then stay tuned for part two making double-crust pastry and turning that mincemeat into spectacular individual pies for all your friends and family to enjoy!
Discussion: What other ingredients do you put in your mincemeat?
Leave me your comments below, and I’ll be glad to respond.
Yield: 6 x 250ml jars
Today, I will show you how we make mincemeat, a favorite in Scotland during the holidays, so it's ready four weeks before making pies.
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Ingredients
- 8oz/11/3 cups currants
- 8oz/1 1/3 cups sultanas (golden raisins)
- 1lb/2 2/3 cups seedless raisins
- 1lb cooking apples peeled, cored and chopped
- 8oz/1 1/3 candied citrus peel chopped
- 4oz/ 2/3 cup blanched almonds, chopped
- 8oz/1 cup shredded suet, or vegetarian suet, or margarine
- 8oz/ 1 cup soft dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
- Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
- About 2/3 cup brandy or port
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the brandy or port in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir well, cover the bowl with a cloth, and set aside in a cool place overnight.
- The following day, stir in enough brandy or port to make a mixture moist enough to drop from a spoon.
- Spoon the mixture into sterilized jars and store in a cool, dry place.
- This will take about four weeks to mature before it is ready to use in mincemeat pies.
- You will need storage jars to keep the mincemeat in until it matures and is ready to use to make the individual mincemeat pies.
- Depending on the size of pies you want to make,one jar will make one pie or one dozen piesif you use1 ½ teaspoons of mixturein each one.
Notes
You will need storage jars to keep the mincemeat in until it matures and is ready to use to make the individual mincemeat pies.
Depending on the size of pies you want to make,1 jar will make 1 pie or 1 dozen piesif you use1 ½ teaspoon of mixturein each one.
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