Mincemeat
Pies, Tarts and Scones

Mince pies have been eaten at Christmas time in Britain for hundreds of years. The reason that we associate mincemeat pies both with Christmas and Thanksgiving on this side of the Atlantic is that, in addition to a very somber Thanksgiving, the early Pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas at all. So many of the foods that had been enjoyed at Christmas prior to coming to the New World, found their way into the only "feast" that was celebrated in those early years.

Medieval mincemeat in "Old England" was quite different from the mincemeat we're generally familiar with today. Back then it contained as much meat and suet as fruit, and only a touch of sugar. It was really a spiced, savory dish rather than a sweet one, very much like the original plum pudding.

Today traditional mincemeat still contains meat, but fruit is now the dominant ingredient and the sweetening has increased by a large measure, quite an evolution from its original form. Rather than the mutton it was traditionally made with, it's now usually made with beef. In the north country of New England you'll find it often made with venison and sweetened with maple syrup.

Our version is a typical New England mincemeat. It will make 2 quarts, enough for 2 1/2 to 3 dozen small pies (or tarts) or three 9-inch pies. We are giving you the whole process from mincemeat to pies even though the mincemeat is best when it's made several weeks ahead of time to allow the flavors to mature. Make enough for Thanksgiving and then keep some to mellow for Christmas. We'll even give you some ideas for using mincemeat that you might not have thought of.

These ingredients for mincemeat are by no means written in stone. If some aren't available, substitute what you have on hand or what appeals to your own sense of taste. If you're a vegetarian, you can even leave out the meat.

The important thing when you make this is to surround it with a bit of ceremony. One legend says that everyone needs to stir it once clockwise while it cooks, or while it's "ripening," to bring luck in the New Year.
The Mincemeat
1 pound venison or lean beef
1 quart apple cider (or 2 cups cider and 2 cups cranberry juice)
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 pound ground suet or 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
1/2 pound currants (1 1/2 cups firmly packed)
1/2 pound golden raisins (1 1/2 cups firmly packed)
1/2 pound fresh cranberries, cut in half (about 1 cup), or 1/2 cup dried cranberries
minced rind and juice of 1 lemon (or orange if you like it less tart)
1/4 cup "spirits"
1 cup blanched, chopped almonds or other nuts (optional, for crunch)
granulated sugar to sprinkle on top of small pies (optional)
Trim the meat if necessary and dice it into small cubes. Pour the cider into a large saucepan or small kettle and add the sweeteners and spices. Add the meat and bring this mixture to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.

Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, turn off the heat and add the currants, raisins, cranberries and lemon rind and juice to the hot cider/broth mixture. Let these steep while you grind or mince the meat along with the suet, if you're using it. (Suet gives depth to the flavor of the mixture.)

Return the meat (and suet) to the fruit mixture, bring back to a boil and then down to a simmer for about 1/2 hour. Boil off enough liquid so the mixture is thick.

If you opted not to use suet, melt and blend in the butter at this point. Butter was used in place of suet in years past but was considered a luxury in a pie. Since these days we're more apt to have butter around, it may not be quite such a luxury for us and may be more to our 20th century taste.

After the mixture has cooled, add 1/4 cup of "spirits." This may be anything from a maple liqueur to brandy to rum to a hearty red wine. This adds flavor and helps preserve the mincemeat.

Cover and store mincemeat in a cool place for 2 or more weeks if you have time. Give it an occasional stir (clockwise!) and add 2 or 3 more tablespoons of spirits if you wish.

The Pies and Tarts

Although mincemeat has changed in character over the centuries, the spirit in which it's made and eaten has survived fairly intact. In medieval England, to eat a small mince pie on each of the twelve days of Christmas was to insure that each of the twelve coming months would be blessed. We may not want to eat quite so many mince pies, but Thanksgiving and Christmas demand at least one.

To make two double-crust 9-inch pies or 12 tiny pies for the 12 days of Christmas, you'll need to double a favorite crust recipe of your own or double the recipe below. You'll also need a wash made by beating an egg with a tablespoon of water.

Pie Crust

This recipe makes enough dough for four single-inch crusts (two top-and-bottom-crust pies or four "open-faced" pies).
4 cups Round Table Unbleached Pastry Flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Pastry flour is a must here; I'm positive that's what makes the difference.

In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle ice water over all and mix with a fork or your hands till mixture holds together. Gather dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in waxed paper, plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days) before using. If dough is refrigerated longer than 1 hour, it will be very stiff; you'll have to let it warm up a bit before rolling it out.

Rolling & Shaping

o Double Crust Pies: Follow directions listed above.

o Tarts: Roll out your dough and cut the pastry into rounds 5 or 6 inches in diameter, or big enough to fill the cups of a muffin tin, with smaller circles for the tops. Carefully place the larger circles in your muffin tin.

Fill the shells about half full with mincemeat. Moisten the rim of the dough with cold water, place the slightly smaller rounds of the dough on top of the filling and, with a fork or your fingers, press them to the bottom crusts. If you wet the rim of the muffin tin before you press top to bottom, the little pies will come away from the tin more easily after they are baked.

Chilling: Cover and let these chill for about 15 or 20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 450°F.

Finishing & Washing: Before baking, make a slit, plain or fancy, in the top of the pies. Brush with the egg wash, and sprinkle the small pies with a little granulated sugar if you like.

Baking: After you put the pies in the oven, turn the heat down to 375°F and bake the 9-inch pies for about 35 minutes and the smaller ones for about 20 minutes. If they begin to brown too quickly, turn the heat down to 350°F for the final 5 to 10 minutes. Let the small pies cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin.

In this country, we often eat mince pie with vanilla ice cream. In England, it's customary to serve little Christmas pies with cream or Hard Sauce (recipe in next paragraph). When you sit down to eat your pie, think about all the other people over the ages who've done the same and who've joined you in hopes that the year ahead will be as rich as the pie itself.

Hard Sauce is made by combining 1 stick of softened butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar (or 1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar), a teaspoon of vanilla and 2 or 3 tablespoons brandy or rum (to taste). Cover and chill before serving.

Mincemeat Scones

If you're a mincemeat fan, you'll love these; if you're not, you'll still like them.
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mincemeat (see recipe in the beginning of this section)
Preheat your oven to 450°F and sprinkle a bit of flour on a baking sheet.

Thoroughly blend the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Drop the butter in the center, cover it with the flour mixture, and quickly rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.

Pour in the cup of buttermilk and blend for 20 seconds. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead about 10 times, until it holds together.

Cut the dough in half and, with a well floured rolling pin, gently roll each half into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. (Or, for smaller scones, make four smaller circles, 5 to 6 inches in diameter.)

Spread the mincemeat on one layer and, with a spatula or bowl scraper, lift the other layer on top. Cut the round(s) into 8 pie-shaped pieces. Lift them onto a lightly greased or floured baking sheet, allowing space for them to expand.

Bake for 15 (small scones) to 20 (large scones) minutes