Linne Family Mincemeat Pie Filling

Mincemeat is a rare treat that not so many people know about.  Possibly because less people cook and we're in America.  The impression I have is that this is a British tradition.  The spice, fruit and meat combination is ancient, going back to the Crusades.  Returning Crusaders brought the experiences of Middle Eastern cooking and this influenced British cooking.

This recipe is an amalgam of several.  Years of tweaking this recipe have brought me to this, which is my favorite.  This pie has unmistakable character.  Somewhere between sweet and savory, meaty and fruity, it's a Holiday treat that is definitely surprising.

I think a mincemeat pie ought to have actual meat. Any store bought version and many recipes (including Alton Brown) out there do not make this with meat, though they call for suet.  I have yet to try the recipe with suet as it's hard to find and likely expensive were I to go to a butcher.  Bacon grease does just fine.

Mincemeat is one of those fillings that's heavily preserved between sugar and alcohol and benefits from storing and aging.  I make mine at the beginning of October and it's great by Christmas.  Though you could make it earlier in the year and keep it longer.

I prefer to make my own mixed peel.  It's not terribly hard, but it's time consuming and a pain in the butt to do on the same day.  If you want to make mixed peel, do it on a different day.  Store bought will work too.

This is amazing served with sour cream, though whipped cream is nice too.

Ingredients

Meat:

2-3 lb lean beef (I like it meaty)
8 oz bacon grease

Liquids:

liquid from cooking the beef
1 c. apple cider
3/4 c. molasses
3/4 c. honey

Fruits:

2 lb. granny smith apples
8 oz. raisins
4 oz cherries
4 oz figs
8 oz prunes
6 oz currants
8 oz candied mixed peel, minced

3 oranges, juiced and zested
3 lemons, juiced and zested

Spices:

4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp ground clove
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp mace
1/2 tsp cardamon
1/2 tsp salt
pinch saffron, optional

Alcohol:

1 c. red wine
1 c. brandy

Preparation (Reserve an afternoon for this recipe)

Get out a large slow-cooker and start it heating.

Simmer the beef in the bacon grease.
While the meat is simmering, chop the fruit.  Larger fruits like cherries, prunes and figs need to be chopped.  Dried cherries should at least be chopped in half.  I slice the figs & prunes into 1/4 inch strips and then cross cut them into chunks.  The apples get cored and cubed into 1 cm chunks.  Don't bother peeling them, the peel contributes pectin to the recipe.  Add all the fruit to the slow cooker.

When the beef is done cooking, cube it into 1 cm chunks and add it to the slow cooker.  Add the remaining bacon grease and the spices, the citrus zests & juices, and the mixed peel.  Add the honey and molasses.

I like to reduce the red wine over a simmering heat.  This takes awhile, but we're in no hurry.  Set a low fire under a small saucepan and add the wine to it.  Let it simmer for ~15 to 20 min until reduced by half.  Add to the pot.

Let the mixture stew for several hours, or overnight on a low heat setting.

When it's done after 4-6 hours, or overnight, add the brandy and mix well.  It's ready for jarring.

Pumpkin Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Icing

These are great gingerbread cookies.  We made them for Halloween, hoping for pumpkin-pie flavored gingerbread.  It didn't quite work out that way.  I think that there wasn't enough pumpkin perhaps.  It just tasted like good gingerbread.  The cream cheese frosting is great.

This might be tweaked to taste more like pumpkin pie.

Cookies Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree {pure pumpkin~ not pumpkin pie filling}
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. cloves
3/4 tsp. nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick of butter softened
1 package of cream cheese softened
5 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions
Cookies
In your mixer, combine butter, sugar, and molasses. Add your pumpkin puree and mix well. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine all of the rest of the dry ingredients. Slowly mix your dry ingredients into your butter mixture until combined.
Wrap in wax or parchment paper and throw in the refrigerator for at least 3 or 4 hours until it firms up. I leave mine in over night.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour your work surface and split your dough into thirds. Lightly pat the top of one section of dough with flour and roll out until it is about 1/4″ thick.
Cut into desired shapes and place on a greased cookie sheet.
Cook for 6 to 7 minutes at 375 degrees. Mine were perfect at exactly 7 minutes. Let cool completely.
Pipe your favorite icing onto each of your cookies into desired design.
Cream Cheese Frosting

Whip together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in your mixer until well combined. Add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. It may take a minute for all of the ingredients to combine. It might look too dry to begin with, but it will mix together and turn out perfectly.